Posted on 02/16/2013 7:25:05 PM PST by randita
Here Are The Seven Senate Races To Watch In 2014
Eric Pianin, The Fiscal Times | Feb. 16, 2013, 2:00 PM
Just as the memory of the last bruising battle for control of the Senate begins to fade, political handicappers are casting their gaze to the 2014 campaign when Republicans once again will try to overcome the Democratic majority.
Just as the Republicans began the 2012 campaign cycle in strong shape to reclaim the Senate, the GOP has a clear edge heading into the next face off. While some of the most intriguing political speculation today centers on whether actress Ashley Judd will run as a Democrat to challenge Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell in Kentucky, political analysts are focusing again on the Democrats’ substantial vulnerabilities in retaining control of the Senate in two years.
The Democrats emerged from the 2012 election with a 55 to 45 seat advantage over the Republicans, thanks in part to President Obama’s solid reelection victory over Republican challenger Mitt Romney and to “stupid” gaffes made by GOP Senate contenders.
Rather than losing ground, as many political analysts had predicted, the Democrats were able to pick up a couple of seats.
Looking ahead to the next big battle, Democrats will once again have to scramble to retain control of the Senate as a counterweight to the Republican majority in the House. And they will have to do that without the benefit of a strong Democratic president at the top of the ticket.
The Democrats’ predicament stems from a combination of retirements – including those of veteran Sens. Jay Rockefeller of West Virginia and Tom Harkin of Iowa, and changing political fortunes that leaves them on political high alert in a dozen or more states.
(Excerpt) Read more at businessinsider.com ...
There will be as many Todd Akins as the “media” sees fit. When are we as a party going to stand up to the dims and their media whores? First thing we have to do, as a party, is go after the whores.
Funny how Akin is classified as another failed tea party guy when he was recruiter by insiders to run. Even Rove admitted his organization gave him money before the melt down. Since Akin made the comment right after the primary Rove was supporting him during the primary.
This isn’t rocket science.
Most of the Tea Party candidates that lost stepped in their own doo-doo.
At a minimum they need to listen to Rush or Dana Loesch a couple hours a week.
They called the “war on women” theme right after journ-0-list Stephanopolus pulled the trigger on it in the first Republican POTUS debate.
Somehow guys like Mourdock never got the briefing...sadly.
no way bud.
todd akin any and all day. i’ll take a champion against the abortion machine and for unborn life all day and any day. win or lose that’s a win in my book, if it saves one unborn life.
even with the entire republican establishment and obama against us we still got more conservatives then they got. all we need to do is shut down the republican hit machine, for conservatives to win.
Let’s kick their ass this time.
bump
McCaskill also invested heavily to see that Akin was her opponent.
It wasn’t his pro-life stance that sunk him. It was his idiotic remarks about rape victims not being able to become pregnant. That was just plain stupid.
If he had withdrawn, another candidate just as pro-life as he was would have run instead and most likely have beaten McCaskill.
The most winnable seat we had went down the tubes.
ping
Seriously
Bill Clinton raped Juanita broaderick. !
No fewer than six women told congress he committed everything from sexual harassment to rape.
But republicans owe women an apology?!
No way !
Significantly damaging the cause of the pro-life movement does not save any children and indeed sets it back. We need candidates who are both pro-life and have sense about how they present it. Todd Akin did not do that. We do not need him “any and all day.”
The only senate seats the stupid party has any hopes of winning are in states with voter ID laws.
2014 Senate Contest Summary
-
Alaska - Mark Begich - Democrat
Arkansas - Mark Pryor - Democrat
Colorado - Mark Udall - Democrat
Delaware - Chris Coons - Democrat
Hawaii (special) - Brian Schatz - Democrat
Illinois - Richard Durbin - Democrat
Iowa - Tom Harkin - Democrat
Louisiana - Mary Landrieu - Democrat
Massachusetts - John Kerry - Democrat
Michigan - Carl Levin - Democrat
Minnesota - Al Franken - Democrat
Montana - Max Baucus - Democrat
New Hampshire - Jeanne Shaheen - Democrat
New Jersey - Frank Lautenberg - Democrat
New Mexico - Tom Udall - Democrat
North Carolina - Kay Hagan - Democrat
Oregon - Jeff Merkley - Democrat
Rhode Island - Jack Reed - Democrat
South Dakota - Tim Johnson - Democrat
Virginia - Mark Warner - Democrat
West Virginia - Jay Rockefeller - Democrat
-
Alabama - Jeff Sessions - Republican
Georgia - Saxby Chambliss - Republican - (not running)
Idaho - Jim Risch - Republican
Kansas - Pat Roberts - Republican
Kentucky - Mitch McConnell - Republican
Maine - Susan Collins - Republican
Mississippi - Thad Cochran - Republican
Nebraska - Mike Johanns - Republican
Oklahoma - Jim Inhofe - Republican
South Carolina - Lindsey Graham - Republican
South Carolina (special) - Tim Scott - Republican
Tennessee - Lamar Alexander - Republican
Texas - John Cornyn - Republican
Wyoming - Mike Enzi - Republican
Looks like the only GOP seat even remotely at risk is Maine.
Haven’t Lautenberg and Rockefeller announced that they are retiring?
If rove was supporting Akin it was only to oppose Sarah Steelman (Palin’s choice).
Akin was not the choice of the tea party or Palin, so no one owns him (except endorser Michelle Bachmann and the GOPe who campaigned against him in the election), the establishment came out against him after he won the primary in a 3 way split, who knows how much these republican establishment campaigns against republican nominees cost us.
Jeff Flake wasn’t tea party, but was a Palin guy won.
Mourdock was a tea party/Palin guy who the establishment supported and Romney endorsed and made ads for.
Scott Brown was establishment through and through he had tea party people like me helping his campaign, but he was so harshly anti-conservative that he was kicked out of the Senate when he became a man without a base.
Summers establishment, lost.
Heather Wilson establishment, lost in a state with a Palin, Grizzly-mama Governor.
Denny Rehberg establishment guy lost.
George Allen establishment lost, again.
Josh Mandel establishment, lost.
John Raiese, establishment guy, lost.
Tommy Thompson establishment guy, lost.
Palin gave us our only bright spots, our only Senate seat pick-up with Deb Fischer, and Ted Cruz of Texas, the disaster of Mitt Romney gave us Obama, cost us the Senate, and seems to have put the GOP on the verge of splintering as he undermined their platform, and branded them in the worst way possible.
I think you bought the media’s agitprop about Akin. They can do that to anyone.
There are at least two questions you need to ask:
1. How can you prevent yourself from being sucked into the media’s programming of your thoughts about anyone?
2. How can you contribute to doing the same for enough low information voters to make a difference?
McConnell may become vulnerable if he continues to act like a turtle.
Pardon. Linda Graham is at high risk of being primaried. I think she doesn't know that yet, so keep it under your hat.
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