Free Republic

ANCHORAGE, Alaska (AP) — Just as Sen. Ted Stevens appeared ready to take his criminal record back to Congress — perhaps opening a door for Gov. Sarah Palin to replace him — his re-election bid faltered. Democrat Mark Begich, who trailed Stevens by more than 3,200 votes to start the day Wednesday, jumped to an 814-vote lead as state officials resumed their count of early and absentee ballots. The tally late Wednesday was 132,196 to 131,382, with an estimated 30,000 ballots remaining to be counted, some on Friday and some next week. "After watching the votes today, I remain cautiously...

The voting shift in this nation is largely about two dynamics: safe seats and the Carolina blues. To get a really good close-up glimpse of what demographic problems the Republican Party is facing in the national electorate, one has to look no further than the North Carolina Senate race lost by Elizabeth Dole. The loss by Dole was not simply a result of the headwinds (self-inflicted as they were) that all GOP candidates faced in 2008, though that was a factor. The Dole loss was more than that. Dole lost a senate seat held by Republicans since 1972. Dole lost...

RICHMOND, Va. - Former GOP Gov. Jim Gilmore announced Monday that he will seek the U.S. Senate seat held by retiring Republican John Warner. Gilmore's announcement sets up a campaign with another former governor, Democrat Mark R. Warner — a clash between two men with vastly different views about government and little affection for the other. Mark Warner announced his intent to run for the seat in September and raised more than $1.1 million in just 17 days.

1 VIRGINIA Open Seat (R-Warner) Last Ranking: 15 Back in '98, a governor and a former governor (George Voinovich and Evan Bayh) waltzed into open Senate seats with virtually no resistance. Virginia Republicans will certainly put up a stronger fight against former Gov. Mark Warner, but they aren't helped by the prospect of an ideologically polarizing primary or convention. Even so, Warner, unlike Bayh, has to run in a red state during a presidential year, making it more difficult for this NASCAR Democrat to distance himself from the national party. Warner's record has never been scrutinized during a campaign, but...

Assemblyman Joseph Pennacchio may be waging two campaigns this fall: one to win a seat in the state Senate, the other to raise money to run against U.S. Sen. Frank Lautenberg in 2008. Pennacchio, a Republican from Montville, said Thursday he is "leaning toward" making a run at Lautenberg, the 83-year-old Democrat. The Montville dentist, who represents the 26th District, which covers parts of Passaic and Morris counties, says he'll decide by the end of the summer whether to form an exploratory committee that would raise funds for such a campaign. "I'm making phone calls and visiting with party leaders...

Now that Republican Sen. John Warner has announced that he will not seek re-election in 2008, the vice president list on the Democratic side might soon shrink. That's because Democrat Mark Warner, the popular former governor of Virginia who gave serious consideration to a presidential bid in 2008, is leaning toward getting into the Senate race, according to Democrats familiar with his thinking. If Mark Warner gets into the Senate race, his advisers acknowledge that it will effectively remove him from consideration for the No. 2 spot on the Democratic presidential ticket. Warner has been seen by Democratic strategists as...

Former senator Bob Kerrey (D-Neb.) seems to be creeping ever closer to a Senate race in 2008, telling the board of trustees at the New School -- where he serves as president -- that a candidacy is a possibility.... Kerrey seems convinced that Sen. Chuck Hagel (R-Neb.) has decided against running for a third term in 2008, creating an open seat and a golden opportunity for the Democrat's return to Washington. Kerrey has spoken with Senate Majority Leader Harry M. Reid (Nev.) about the possibility and would probably have the right of first refusal among Democrats; "I was flattered that...

U.S. Rep. Brad Miller is close to making perhaps the most difficult choice of his political career -- whether to challenge one of the most famous names in American politics. Miller, a three-term Democrat, has stepped up his exploratory effort in recent days as he nears a self-imposed deadline of July 1 to decide whether to take on Republican Sen. Elizabeth Dole in 2008. Miller, a Raleigh attorney, met over the weekend with members of the N.C. Academy of Trial Lawyers -- some of Miller's key financial backers -- at their annual conference in Sunset Beach. Last week, Miller and...

Massachusetts Sen. John Kerry, during his narrowly unsuccessful bid as the 2004 Democratic presidential nominee, excoriated President Bush for his handling of the war in Iraq, and has only stepped up the volume of his criticisms in the years since. But Kerry was one of a sizable number of Democrats who were in the Senate in October 2002 and voted then to authorize Bush to use military force as an option to oust the Iraqi regime of dictator Saddam Hussein. And among the Democratic activists who have never forgotten or forgiven that vote is lawyer Ed O’Reilly — who announced...

Senate Republicans haven't had much to smile about in the 2008 election cycle. But over the last few weeks they've seen some positive developments in key contests like Colorado and Oregon that give should give GOP strategists at least some reason for hope. As always, the No. 1 race is the most likely to result in a party switch. ... 10. Montana: Until we hear Rep. Denny Rehberg (R) say "no," it's hard not to find a place on The Line for this race.... 9. New Mexico: Sen. Pete Domenici (R) has weathered the initial storm over his role in...

Rep. Mark Udall formally started his campaign for Senate today, filing the paperwork to turn his House reelection campaign fund into a cache for the statewide seat. "This is a confirmation, a very important first step in making real my intention,'' Udall, an Eldorado Democrat, said. Udall made the announcement as he filed other paperwork showing how much money his congressional campaign fund has raised. That fund took in nearly $324,000 in the first quarter of the year and ended March with $1.5 million. Udall started the period with $1.3 million already in hand. Udall will need millions more for...

This summer I wrote a guide that I think would have been helpful in '06. http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1688222/posts It's long and drawn out but it needed to cover all of the points that it did. It can and should be used now to help the GOP but winning in '08 is somewhat simpler. A strong national message will definitely help but there are simple things we can do on a race by race level. For starters, winning the Senate in '08 (or keeping it if the Dems manage to turn off Lieberman or even Tester) seems more than doable. Off hand, it...

Lt. Gov. Win Rockefeller withdrew from the race for Arkansas governor Tuesday, announcing he had been diagnosed with a blood disorder that is a precursor to leukemia. Rockefeller will stop all activity in his race for the 2006 Republican gubernatorial nomination to pursue a bone marrow transplant. Recovery time could be as long as a year, he said in a late afternoon news conference.