I am not a transplanted NY'er. Originally from michigan.
Ok, George Allen I am open too as an 08 candidate. Tancredo, Pence, and the other monkeys I am not open to at all. I just want to follow up strong 06 run with a strong 08 presidential campaign. Like someone said earlier, one issue candidates wont do much but hamper the GOP.
Tancredo is a counterproductive idjit.
Pence has a whole lot to offer but he is nowhere near seasoned enough to be viable. I think as people get to know him he will grow in stature. He is modest but principled and looks very professional as a legislator. Don't write off Pence. Again, he may never be president but I would be astounded if he does not make a major mark pleasing to most of us.
There are numerous Demonrat senators aching to be trashcanned in states that owe more to America.
New England: Beyond foreseeable hope. Retaining Judd Gregg and John Sununu in New Hampshire can probably occur but it will get somewhat harder. Snowe, Collins and Chaffee are useless but for organizing the Senate. Which will be the next Judas Jeffords? Probably Chaffee but who knows.
Mid-Atlantic:
Maryland (2006) Sarbanes retires. Lieutenant Governor Michael Steele (rising black star and solidly conservative and NOT overheated like Alan Keyes) loses Baltimore to Kweisi Mfume but carries the rest of the state by more. A star is born. AND run Governor Ehrlich against lavender Butch Mikulski. Maybe we get lucky. Conservatively: +1
Pennsylvania: (2006) Realistically, work like hell to retain Santorum but find the best candidate to take the governor's office since Rendell is term-limited and Spector will die during this gubernatorial term or next. Santorum is a very good organizer and, as governor, can turn Pennsylvania into a reliable red state, appoint Melissa Hart to the Spector vacancy when it occurs and then take his own seat back from pro-life but economically socialist Bob Casey, Jr. Status remains quo until conservatives have BOTH seats or Worst Case: Casey beats Santorum. EVEN
New Jersey: Forrester has the gubernatorial nod and an ability to raise money but far less than Corzine will spend of his own. Conservatives might be motivated by a written (but unpublicized) promise to appoint Bret Schundler to the Senate when Lautenberg croaks. STILL EVEN
Leave MidAtlantic which is generally a wasteland.
THE SOUTHLAND: 11 Confederate states plus West Virginia, Kentucky, Missouri. There are 4 DemonSenators left in the Confederacy: Bill Nelson FL, Mary Landrieu (LA), Pryor and Lincoln in Arkansas. Also Sheets Byrd and Jay Rockefeller in trending red West Virginia.
WEST VIRGINIA: Congresswoman Sherry Moore Caputo can beat Sheets who leads her by only 3% right now: that is three per cent!!!!! 46 years of the old blithering idjit is more than enough and West Virginia is poised. If he goes down, then Rockefeller should be vulnerable too but who would the candidate be???? +1
FLORIDA: Katherine Harris, sporting two pounds of mistletoe hanging from the back of her belt as a message to left moonbats, spend her family money and political capital as necessary and becomes Senator Harris. That makes Mary landrieu the easternmost Confederate State Demonratic Senator. Imagine Howard Dean's reaction!!!!!! New DNC website: moonbat.com
+2 ARKANSAS: hope to get lucky: Governor Mike Huckabee???? against either Senator. Realistically: still +2 SOUTHWEST:
NEW MEXICO: Beat Bingamon. New Mexico owes more to America. +3
COLORADO: Not easy but take out Salazar: Bill Owens???? +4
MOUNTAIN STATES:
NEVADA: Say goodbye to Dingy Harry. Fully fund the GOP Congressman to beat him. +5
MONTANA: Max Baucus is beatable. Do it. +6
PLAINS:
NORTH DAKOTA: Run the current GOP governor and his immediate GOP predecessor against Conrad and Dorgan and beat the two Demonrats. Find a challenger to defeat Demonrat Congressman Earl Pomeroy to prevent a future Demonrat Senate candidacy. +8
SOUTH DAKOTA: Save Ellsworth Air Force base from closure as Thune promised South Dakota and we will beat Johnson next time. Let Ellsworth close andwe lose Thune. Save the base. +9
NEBRASKA: Tell Ben Nelson to change to GOP or beat him. +10
MINNESOTA: Dayton retires. Congressman Mark Kennedy beats whomever. +11
WISCONSIN: Herb Kohl has mountains of money and is oherwise invisible. Governor Doyle is a crook, a reddish pink, a liar and NOT very popular. There is a surplus of quality gubernatorial candidates. Take one and make a dream ticket with the other running for Senate. +12
IOWA: Harkin has probably served longer than anyone in state history. Why did he rise to defense of Terri Schiavo? What does he know that we do not about his internal polls? Again, Iowa has a surplus of first rate youngish GOP Congressman wanting higher office. That is the tradition in Iowa and how both Grassley and Harkin rose to the Senate. +13
ILLINOIS: Hey, I live in a very GOP part of the state. How about Dickie Durbin? Rising in Demonrat leadership usually shortens careers. A recent Chicago Tribune poll showed Governor Boy Wonder Blagojovich (or however he spells it) in red hot water with a 34% (Yes, folks, that is THIRTY-FOUR percent approval). Downstate (where Durbin comes from) is NOT pleased. Not likely but possible as to Durbin. I would even put up with Oberweis to beat Durbin. STILL +13
WEST:
WASHINGTON: Dino Rossi beats Maria Cantwell. Run Kirby Wilbur against Comrade Patricia Murray. +14
Feel free to add others. We need to gain a net 5 to get 60 Senators. there are 14 good shots and a few less likely. Elect 7 and put Allen or someone like him in the White House and we are in business. Even SCOTUS justices HAVE to die someday and by REALLY packing SCOTUS will end the social issue wars for now.