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For the first time in two cycles, Democrats will have more seats up for grabs than the Republicans, and the party could see its shrunken majority erased altogether. Several of the senators up for reelection came in on the 2006 Democratic wave, when the party picked up six GOP seats and won control of the chamber. Sens. Bob Casey Jr. (D-Pa.), Claire McCaskill (D-Mo.), Sherrod Brown (D-Ohio), Sheldon Whitehouse (D-R.I.), Jon Tester (D-Mont.) and Jim Webb (D-Va.) defeated GOP incumbents that year but will have to win reelection in 2012. And two senators who won special elections Tuesday, Joe Manchin...

LINCOLN — Gov. Dave Heineman dropped a post-election bombshell on Thursday, saying he was forgoing a run for U.S. Senate in 2012. Advertising “The Senate's not my cup of tea,” said Heineman, who was re-elected Tuesday by a landslide to a final four-year term. “I have the best job in America. Why would I give that up?” Heineman said at a press conference. The decision by the 62-year-old Republican set off a scramble among potential GOP replacements. ... Attorney General Jon Bruning jumped to the front of the line, announcing shortly after Heineman's decision that he would hold a State...

Semi-unofficial thread for election predictions. SENATE. # of net Senate seats gained (ex: "9" - R's pick up 9 seats, lose 0) GOVERNOR. # of Governor's seats HELD (ex: "30" - R's hold 30 governorships post-election) HOUSE. # of net House seats gained (ex: "58" - R's pick up 60 seats, lose 2) DETAIL. This is optional!! Race-specific predictions for selected competitive races (as listed in example). I have used the current RCP tossup races for this category. UPSETS. One upset prediction for each category (House, Senate, Gov)

With a little over two weeks left in the 2010 election cycle, Republican Marco Rubio (39 percent) leads Independent candidate Charlie Crist (31 percent) by 8 points and Democrat Kendrick Meek (22 percent) by 17 points in the race for U.S. Senate, according to the latest Suffolk University/WSVN poll. Libertarian Alexander Snitker trails with only 2 percent and 6 percent of likely voters remain undecided. In the race for governor, current Chief Financial Officer of the state of Florida and Democratic candidate Alex Sink (45 percent) leads Republican candidate Rick Scott (38 percent) by 7 points. Independent candidates split 4...

Raleigh, N.C. – US Senator Richard Burr has taken a commanding 20 percentage point lead over Democratic opponent Elaine Marshall, according to a new National Research, Inc. poll released today by the Civitas Institute. According to the poll of 600 likely voters, 49 percent of voters said they would vote for Richard Burr if the election for US Senate were held today. Twenty-nine percent of voters said they would vote for Marshall, and 17 percent said they are undecided. Furthermore, unaffiliated voters are in support of Burr by a 48 percent-21 percent margin. “Marshall has been virtually non-existent in the...

While some contentious Senate primaries have resulted in lingering tension between Republicans, New Hampshire’s onetime GOP rivals appear to be making amends. Attorney Ovide Lamontagne, who came within 1,667 votes of defeating former state Attorney General Kelly Ayotte in the GOP primary for Senate, is headlining a fundraiser for the new nominee next week. Ayotte will face Democratic Rep. Paul Hodes in November.

New polling in Ohio has moved that state's U.S. Senate race from Toss-Up to Leans Republican. Other recent changes came from polling in Alaska, Kentucky, North Carolina and West Virginia, Washington. Current projections suggest that the Democrats would hold 47 seats after Election Day while the Republicans would hold 46. Seven states are in the Toss-Up category (California, Colorado, Illinois, Nevada, Wisconsin, Washington and West Virginia. All seven Toss-Ups are seats currently held by Democrats Republicans have the edge in five Democratic-held Senate seats--Arkansas, Indiana, North Dakota, Delaware and Pennsylvania. At the moment, no Republican-held seats appear headed for the...

That heretical, metaphorical miscue didn't seem to diminish Rubio's support in a room that included at least one prayer group whose members said, "God has chosen Rubio." And these conservative Floridians hope that next year, Florida voters will choose him, too.

It is becoming more clear to me everyday that Marco Rubio does not have what it takes to win broad support from grass roots conservatives.. He is completely ignoring 2 other candidates in the Republican Primary. One of whom I am publicly supporting. Dr. William Escoffery But this thread is not so much about Dr. Escoffery as it is about Marco Rubio himself... there are way too many "issues" with Marco Rubio, not the least of which is the fact that he is completely avoiding any contact/debate with the 2 other candidates in the GOP Primary, and we (as the...

Like him or not, Dr. Escoffery is a qualified candidate for U.S. Senate from Florida. Florida Primary is less than 3 weeks away (24 August 2010) and I can only assume that the "AfD" tag was placed by someone who does not want anyone to know who he is because they consider him a "threat" to Marco Rubio. If you are a Wiki fan please comment on the "AfD" tag and request that his page NOT be deleted. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/William_Escoffery Thanks

My fellow FLORIDIANS - Our Primary Election is only 24 DAYS away ! We have 22 Candidates for the U.S. Senate seat !!! Many of you may not have even taken the time to look at all the candidates in this race. I just got an e-mail from a friend asking me to consider voting for Dr. Escoffery in the REPUBLICAN PRIMARY... I think I leaning towards supporting this man. I know many of you will say that "He can't win" because he has no name recognition but we have 24 Days to get him some name recognition.... What Ssy...

WASHINGTON—Democrats for the first time are acknowledging that Republicans could retake the Senate this November if everything falls into place for the GOP, less than two years after Democrats held a daunting 60-seat majority. Leaders of both parties have believed for months that Republicans could win the House, where every lawmaker faces re-election. But a change of party control in the Senate, where only a third of the members are running and Republicans must capture 10 seats, seemed out of the question. That's no longer the case. The emergence of competitive Republican candidates in Wisconsin, Washington and California—Democratic-leaning states where...

Tea Party Wins Victory In Utah As Incumbent GOP Senator Loses Bid For Nomination Amy Gardner May 9, 2010 The national "tea party" movement toppled its first incumbent Saturday as long-serving Sen. Robert F. Bennett was defeated at the Utah Republican Party's nominating convention, the most powerful demonstration yet of the anti-Washington tide that is altering the nation's political landscape. Bennett, seeking a fourth term after 18 years in office, became the first sitting senator to fall in the ideological battle being waged in his party. Although he has long been viewed as a reliable conservative with deep Mormon roots,...

At least a handful of of Florida’s 5 million registered Democrats plan to vote for Independent Senate candidate Charlie Crist. The Daily Caller spoke to five who belong to a Facebook group called “Democrats for Charlie Crist for Senate 2010,” which has a total of 91 members, about their reasons for supporting the former Republican. All say they can’t abide Marco Rubio winning, and not one has a lick of faith in Democratic Senate candidate Kendrick Meek. Not all five Democrats are happy voting for Crist... “Crist is a lightweight conservative but personable and a people pleaser,”... “He will do...

Sen. John McCain (R-AZ) has lost the endorsement of a key leader of his own party, and a behind-the-scenes feud is emerging that could put McCain at odds with GOP activists in his home state. McCain and the AZ House delegation have agreed to divert money for the party's get-out-the-vote efforts away from the AZ GOP, sources tell Hotline OnCall. The decision comes after a contentious meeting between the McCain camp and top state party officials, according to sources on both sides of the debate. The decision highlights a contentious relationship between the state's DC delegation and local party leaders...

Wisconsin incumbent Democrat Russ Feingold leads his two best-known announced Republican challengers for the U.S. Senate in the latest Rasmussen Reports telephone survey of likely voters in the state. Feingold leads real estate entrepreneur Terrence Wall 47% to 39%. Just six percent (6%) would choose some other candidate given that match-up, while seven percent (7%) are undecided. Against another potential GOP opponent, businessman Dave Westlake, Feingold currently holds a 47% to 37% lead but again fails to receive 50% support. Six percent (6%) like another candidate, and 10% are undecided. Any incumbent who attracts less than 50% support at this...

Former Gov. Tommy Thompson (R-Wis.) is encouraged by polls showing him leading Sen. Russ Feingold (D-Wis.) in a hypothetical matchup. He hasn’t announced a 2010 Senate run but admits he’s spoken to the head of National Republican Senatorial Committee (NRSC) and several other senators about the possibility. “It’s a good year for me,” Thompson told The Hill. “The polls are good in Wisconsin and I haven’t even indicated” an intention to run.

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No one is expecting the Democrats to steal Sen. Robert Bennett's seat in Utah, one of the reddest states in the country. But that doesn't mean that the three-term incumbent will get off scot-free this year. Bennett is being challenged from his right by Mike Lee, a former gubernatorial counsel in the state, in the GOP Primary. And Lee got a boost today when he was endorsed by the conservative group Freedom Works, led by former Congressman Dick Armey (R-TX). "What is really exciting is the emergence of a new personality on the scene one who understands the Constitution of...

A new Rasmussen Reports telephone survey of likely Indiana voters shows former GOP Congressman John Hostettler leading Baron Hill 49% to 31% and Brad Ellsworth 46% to 27%.