Free Republic

A half-dozen senators fighting for their political lives — and their party’s hold on the majority — in tough races while trying to avoid being dragged down by an unpopular president and the stark reality that second-term midterm elections almost never work out for the side controlling the White House. 2014? Yes — but also 2006, an election cycle that Republicans are increasingly beginning to see as a parallel to this one as the fight for control of the Senate enters its final four weeks. “During that cycle, our guys in Pennsylvania, Virginia, Rhode Island, Missouri, Montana and Ohio could...

This is our last chance to get out the vote and to keep Pelosi and Reid from being Speaker and Majority leader! We have the power to stop them! If we get hundreds of Freepers on this, we can hold the House and the Senate and stuff it in the face of the Clown Car Media and their year's worth of predicting disaster for the GOP! Please go to: http://www.GOP.com/Call or just click the link above and sign up to call 30 Republican voters, even if you can't do all 30. It's easy and most of all with many polls...

Chris Matthews just couldn't wipe that grin off his face. Interviewing him on this morning's 'Today,' Meredith Vieira began by suggesting that despite the tough electoral environment for Republicans, polls over the weekend were showing movement in their direction. She started to pose a question, but so distracting was Matthews' mugging that she couldn't continue, asking instead "why are you smiling?"Replied Matthews: "Because I think it's going to be a wipe-out. I think the Democrats are going to carry the House by 20-some, high-20s and I think the Senate seats are perhaps not six, but five, and I can see...

Released: November 5, 2006 Summary of Findings A nationwide Pew Research Center survey finds voting intentions shifting in the direction of Republican congressional candidates in the final days of the 2006 midterm campaign. The new survey finds a growing percentage of likely voters saying they will vote for GOP candidates. However, the Democrats still hold a 48% to 40% lead among registered voters, and a modest lead of 47%-43% among likely voters. The narrowing of the Democratic lead raises questions about whether the party will win a large enough share of the popular vote to recapture control of the House...

IF YOU SUPPORT PARTIAL BIRTH ABORTION, stay home on Election Day, or vote for a third-party candidate. This will help Bob Menendez get elected to the United States Senate, where he states he will block any judges who do not commit to abortion on demand. Indeed, his winning will result in viable, healthy babies continuing to be killed in the womb. IF YOU OPPOSE PARTIAL BIRTH ABORTION, vote for Tom Kean on Election Day. He has said that he will support President Bush's judicial appointments as long as they commit not to legislate from the bench. This will result in...

Here is a list of links to the latest news stories on 20 of the hottest US house races. CT02 Courtney -v- SimmonsCT04 Farrell -v- ShaysFL22 Klein -v- ShawIL06 Duckworth -v- RoskamIN02 Donnelly -v- Chocola IN03 Hayhurst -v- SouderIN09 Hill -v- SodrelMN06 Wetterling -v- BachmannNC11 Shuler -v- TaylorNY20 Gillibrand -v- Sweeney NY24 Arcuri -v- MeierNY25 Davis -v- ReynoldsOH15 Kilroy -v- PrycePA06 Murphy -v- GerlachPA07 Sestak -v- Weldon PA08 Murphy -v- FitzpatrickPA10 Carney -v- SherwoodVA02 Kellam -v- DrakeWA08 Burner -v- ReichertWI08 Kagen -v- Gard   Here are another 20 hot races to keep your eyes on. AZ-01 Ellen Simon Rick Renzi*...

Number Doubled Over the Summer Facing the most difficult political environment since they took control of Congress in 1994, Republicans begin the final two months of the midterm campaign in growing danger of losing the House while fighting to preserve at best a slim majority in the Senate, according to strategists and officials in both parties. Over the summer, the political battlefield has expanded well beyond the roughly 20 GOP House seats originally thought to be vulnerable. Now some Republicans concede there may be almost twice as many districts from which Democrats could wrest the 15 additional seats they need...

Thursday, August 24, 2006 JUNO BEACH — LeRoy Collins Jr. — a retired two-star admiral and son of the man considered Florida's first modern governor — tells audiences he's best known now as "one of the guys running against Katherine Harris." Collins, 71, of Tampa, used that line Wednesday as he addressed about 60 people at the Waterford retirement community in Juno Beach. "Everybody knows who Katherine Harris is, and a lot of those reasons are the wrong reasons," said Collins, one of three candidates running against Harris in the Republican primary for the U.S. Senate nomination. Harris, a two-term...

Busby & Bilbray Vote Early In 50th District Race Last Updated: 06-05-06 at 7:16PM Republican Brian Bilbray and Democrat Francine Busby stopped by the County Registrar's Office early Monday to cast a ballot for themselves. The latest polls show the two are in a dead heat for the 50th District congressional seat. With his wife and daughter in tow, former congressman-turned-lobbyist Bilbray stolled into the registrar's office and voted for himself to replace fallen representative Randy "Duke" Cunningham. About an hour later, Democratic contender and Cardiff School District board member Busby voted for herself in her quest to finish Cunningham's...

Maryland Democratic leaders are aiming to tie Lt. Gov. Michael S. Steele to the federal government's response to Hurricane Katrina to dampen his appeal among black voters in his U.S. Senate bid. "I think it's one of President Bush's major failings as president, and I think it symbolizes a very disturbing approach to governing," said Derek Walker, executive director of the Maryland Democratic Party. "Bush has wrapped himself around Steele's campaign, and Steele has wrapped himself around Bush. Steele needs to address that," Mr. Walker said. Rep. Steny H. Hoyer, Maryland Democrat and House minority whip, said: "I don't think...

Journalists and pundits seem to be writing an advance copy of the political story of 2006 – the beginning of the end of the contemporary Republican Party. A few have been prepared to write the GOP’s 2006 obituary, interestingly enough, since Bush’s second inaugural. But with the President’s numbers sinking, the House majority leader and the Vice-President’s Chief of Staff under indictment, and the Republican agenda seemingly non-existent – many more political observers are now speculating whether next year will mark the end of the contemporary GOP.The question I shall answer here is whether there are grounds for this conclusion....

It’s hard to tell who’s in worse political shape right now: President Bush or Congressional Democrats. Polls show deep skepticism with Bush, but it’s not clear that Democrats can take advantage.Historically speaking, the 2006 midterm elections should be a bonanza for Democrats. Since World War II, the party out of power has picked up an average of 34 House and five Senate seats in a president’s sixth year in office.Polls indicate that Bush is now presiding over an unpopular war, and that’s almost always bad for the incumbent party.An early August Gallup poll showed that, by 54 percent to 44...