Democrats’ Identity Crisis Is Spilling Into Their Senate Races

National Journal ^ | March 26, 2015 | Josh Kraushaar

[Clintonfatigued]

Congressional races often serve as a leading indicator of what the future holds at the top of the ticket. And already, there are several primaries that would pit the Democratic Party's pragmatic liberal wing against the true-blue progressives. Democrats may not end up with significantly more contested primaries than in the past, but the ideological stakes will be higher. The battles are shaping up to be over core issues splitting the party: entitlements, support for Israel, national security, and others. The intraparty divisions that President Obama has suppressed and Hillary Clinton has avoided will be litigated down the ballot, and the stakes won't be for control of the Senate, but for control of the party's future.

Take the Maryland Senate race. Both Reps. Donna Edwards and Chris Van Hollen hail from the party's progressive wing. But Edwards is already aggressively pointing to Van Hollen's past openness to a grand budget bargain to draw a contrast with her challenger. "Our approach to Social Security must be absolute and non-negotiable," she warned in a recent fundraising email. That's not the only dividing line between Edwards and Van Hollen: She's one of the more outspoken Democratic critics of Israel, frequently voting with a small minority against symbolic, pro-Israel resolutions and winning enthusiastic support from J Street, a Jewish group that frequently criticizes Israel's policies.

The potential for an ideological food fight is also growing in Florida, where one of the most moderate members of the Democratic caucus could be facing a nasty primary against one of the most pugnacious progressives. Rep. Patrick Murphy is the party favorite and fits the profile of a Democrat who's well-positioned to win a statewide race: centrist, backed by the Chamber of Commerce and, at 31, an up-and-comer.

[StormEye]

" Yet, Boxer, Mikulski, Reid (Democrat retirees to date) are heading for the high ground......

Looks like they don’t wanna stick around to see the “glory days” ahead.

Or do they know something we already know?"

First, I'm beginning to think that the "beating" Harry Reid suffered could possibly have been to convince him to quit the Senate. Yeah, I feel that's how criminal the Democrat Party has become.

As for Mikulski and Boxer they may very well be jumping ship to avoid being associated with a coming disaster that they themselves have had a part in creating.

Flea bitten, diseased Rats -- all of them.

[Verginius Rufus]

So Grayson may have married a woman who was still legally married to another man? What’s the big deal? The founder of the Democratic Party, Andrew Jackson, did the same thing.

[Impy]

Doesn’t appear there is an “if”, Murphy is running. Giving us one of our top takeover chances.

And since Rubs seems intent on running for POTUS (even though he’ll likely be eliminated long before Florida’s late non-POTUS primary) Atwater is his likely opponent.

Grayson would be a gift.