Each state is different. They have different economies, different geographies, different weather, different natural resources, different histories, and different motivators.
I don't think it's as simple as saying that the parties drive each state uniformly. How can we have such different state behaviors between California and West Virginia, for example? Even between Texas and Indiana, one an oil and cattle state and one a coal state.
Agricultural versus industrial, high-tech versus education, tourism versus financial.
Each state has a self-interest that will drive negotiations with other states if they can retake control of the Senate from the parties.
-PJ
I still think you're placing entirely too much faith on disparate state and/or regional interests. In actuality, the country is now operating very much similar to the Union vs Confederacy. CA, NY & IL (and their satellites) cooperate (and think) very much in the same manner, with the same goals and objectives vis-a-vis competition with, and the desire to defeat, conservative (red) states.
Secondly, I'm a bit confused why state/regional economic interests would have any bearing from the impact of post-17th dispersed state-wide appointment. All economic sectors benefit from government subsides and direct demand. As to the topic at hand - that is, endless war - there's not a segment of the economy anywhere, in any state, that doesn't benefit from military demand. Oil, coal, food, high-tech - you name it, everyone has a hand in the pie.
The same money flowing from the same special interests would be directed towards a few state representatives is a few potential swing states. Secure 50.1% of 26 states, and the Turtle has got the same exact platform.
Again, it's not a piece of paper with laws, rules & regulations written down that governs conduct. Rather, it's the people themselves and the expectation they demand from representatives. If the people themselves are so entirely co-opted, then the republic is dead, and we're operating in a post-constitutional environment.