Here is my take on some of them-
AL- Democrats are trying to get state Agriculture Commissioner Ron Sparks to run, and he would be a credible candidate, although Jeff Sessions would still be the favorite.
AR- Right now, it looks like Mark Pryor will face a third-tier challenge from former U.S. Attorney Chuck Banks.
CO- Democrats have definitely settled on liberal Congressman Mark Udall. By contrast, the GOP field is very unsettled. The GOP establishment is reaching out to state Attorney General John Suthers, who has made no decision.
ID- Will Senator Larry Craig seek reelection? Democrat ex-Congressman Larry LaRocco is running, but everything would have to break his way for him to win.
IA- It now looks like Senator Tom Harkin won’t face a serious challenge. Too bad, as he’s a near-Marxist.
LA- All bets are off until the 2007 Governor’s race, which looks very promising. Possible candidates to face Senator Mary Landrieu are ex-state Elections Commissioner Suzanne Terrell, Congressman Richard Baker, and Secretary of State Jay Dardenne, with Terrell seeming most likely to run.
ME- RINO Senator Susan Collins will probably be challenged by ultralib Congressman Tom Allen, a former Portland Mayor. Collins remains the front-runner, but this is a top-tier race.
MA- Amazingly, John Kerry is unpopular in his home state. Whether it will matter remains to be seen, as he won’t be challenged in the primary and the state GOP has seen better days.
MN- Senator Norm Coleman will be challenged by comedian Al Franken, who IMHO is the Katherine Harris of the 2008 Senate elections.
MT- Will Senator Max Baucus be challenged by Congressman Denny Rehberg? Right now, it doesn’t appear all that likely.
NE- This is intriguing. RINO Senator Chuck Hagel will be challenged by state Attorney General Jon Bruning, who claims to be leading in internal polls. On the Democrat side, Omaha Mayor Mike Fahey, a Ben Nelson ally, is waiting in the wings.
NH- Senator John Sununu is in big trouble politically. Will ex-Governor Jeanne Shaheen run again? Polls currently show her ahead.
NJ- Senator Frank Lautenberg is unpopular. But, once again, NJ Republicans can’t get a strong candidate to run. Right now, wealthy developer Anne Evans Estabrooks appears to be the favorite of the state RINO establishment, in large part because she can self-fund her race, which means they won’t have to.
NM- Suddenly, Pete Domenici has some doubts about his prospects, due to charges about him badgering a U.S. Attorney. It appears to have caused some damage, but unless more comes out of it, it probably won’t be fatal.
NC- To the surprise of the GOP, Senator Elizabeth Dole is showing shaky poll numbers. Democratic Congressman Brad Miller is considering a race.
OR- Senator Gordon Smith is worried about his reelection prospects and is pandering shamelessly to what he considers to be “the middle” in Oregon. Possible Democrat opponents include Congressman Earl Blumenauer and party-switching state Senator Ben Westlund.
SD- Two questions. First, will ailing Senator Tim Johnson seek reelection? Second, will Governor Mike Rounds run against him? No one knows the answer to either. One one hand, Johnson’s condition precludes any criticism of him without risking a backlash. On the other hand, if Johnson doesn’t improve dramatically over the next year, questions about his ability to be Senator could sink him.
TX- Senator John Cornyn is polling poorly. Lucky for him, the state Democrats are in terrible shape. Right now, it looks like only former state Controller John Sharp would be a strong opponent, and he has made no moves to run so far.
VA- Will 2008 be Warner vs. Warner II, the sequel? Until we know the answer, all other questions are off. Ex-Governor Mark Warner would be difficult to beat, but it’s not clear whether he’ll make the plunge. If John Warner retires, the GOP nominee will be Congressman Tom Davis, but conservatives aren’t enthusiastic about him.
Thanks for the synopses of the races CF!
MA actually has a new candidate, speak to Bocopar, he is the oracle.
Jeanne Shaheen in NH is so dumb that my seventh grader could beat her.. but don;t rule her out..NH is full of Massholes fleeing taxes. They are (the Massholes that is) too stupid to realize that they are re-creating Mass-hole-dom by voting as is “born Democrat”.
Poor NH. That’s why they call us “MassHoles”!!
I'd be very surprised if we retake the Senate in 2008.