Dodd is not running for re-election. Hoeven seems to relish his spot as the longest serving governor. It will get even longer. But we need to take back these senate seats in “blue” states.
How many former governors do we have out there than can run for some of these seats? You mentioned J.Bush, Pataki, and Ehrlich (I agree Ehrlich needs to unseat O’Malley). Owens, Huckabee. There are many.
If Zero’s star fades our opportunity in 2010 will be vast. The possibility of taking out a Schumer, or taking back Zero’s seat, cannot be passed up. We need to groom Ditka and Elway as well.
I'll believe it when I see it... The guy is a Watergate baby, he wouldn't know what to do with himself outside of the Senate.
"How many former governors do we have out there than can run for some of these seats? You mentioned J.Bush, Pataki, and Ehrlich (I agree Ehrlich needs to unseat O’Malley). Owens, Huckabee. There are many."
A number of them, but there are drawbacks with some of them (age concerns and/or plain suitability). Some don't like Jeb Bush, but frankly he fulfilled most of what I consider the goals and obligations of a sitting Governor (namely maintaining or growing your party on your watch and passing it off to a party successor -- for all that he got a big "A." His successor is another story, though. Crist willfully and deliberately cost the ticket Florida with stunts like felons voting. That is so beyond f*cked I don't know what to say). Pataki I just don't think could win a Senate seat and he was only fair to mediocre as Governor.
Ehrlich was in a tough spot in a VERY difficult state for us. After all, he was the first GOP Governor since Agnew (and even Agnew only won a plurality in 1966 in a 3-way race and was more liberal than the Democrat nominee, a Wallaceite). I appreciate that he didn't cut and run when it looked tough in '06, and that scored him big points with me. Dying with your boots on politically speaking is behavior that SHOULD be rewarded. Whichever office he chooses to run for, he should be backed. Owens of CO and Huckster are simply non-starters. Owens quite literally turned a solid Republican state into a rodent one and he was a terrible Governor (a decade ago he was talked up as Presidential material). I can review the Governors (former or otherwise) by state if you wish...
"If Zero’s star fades our opportunity in 2010 will be vast. The possibility of taking out a Schumer, or taking back Zero’s seat, cannot be passed up. We need to groom Ditka and Elway as well."
Quite so. But if our party keeps acting stupid as it has in the past two cycles, that opportunity may be passed up once again...