Free Republic

The familiar Washington narrative on the scrum for the U.S. Senate has been rinsed, recycled and delivered once again: Republicans are primed to pick up the six seats necessary to capture control of the upper chamber. The midterm atmosphere sure looks ripe, the polling appears favorable but, as it did in 2010 and 2012, the most competitive batch of races will likely come down to candidate quality. It’s the key component that stifled GOP chances before, and could very well again. .... .... A closer look at the most competitive contests demonstrates why a Senate majority in 2014 is again...

For Immediate ReleaseOffice of the Press SecretaryNovember 2, 2002 Radio Address by the President to the Nation      Audio THE PRESIDENT: Good morning. The federal courts play a central role in American justice -- protecting the innocent, punishing the guilty and upholding the rule of law. Yet, our federal courts today are in crisis. The judicial confirmation process does not work as it should. Nominees are too often mistreated. Votes are delayed, hearings are denied and dozens of federal judgeships sit empty, endangering the quality of justice in America. Since coming into office, I have sent to the Senate 32 nominees...

Voters hold more favorable view of Republicans than of Democrats. Voters give Republicans a 44% to 31% favorable to unfavorable rating, compared to 39% to 32% for Democrats. - NBC/WSJ Nearly seven in ten adults approve of the President's job performance. 67% approve of President Bush's overall job performance, virtually unchanged from 69% in late July. - CNN/USA Today/Gallup Voters approve of President's focus. 53% say President Bush has spent the right amount of time on both the economy and terrorism. - NBC/WSJ NBC/Wall St. Journal asked voters which issues should be top priorities for the President and Congress over...

Parties stump in Plano, Houston GOP rallies the faithful locally; Kirk touts Chronicle's backing 10/21/2002 By TODD J. GILLMAN / The Dallas Morning News PLANO - Buoyed by new polls showing wide leads in the races for governor and U.S. Senate, the GOP ticket rallied the faithful Sunday and poked fun at the Democratic "dream team." With early voting set to open Monday statewide, the Democrats, led by former Dallas mayor and U.S. Senate hopeful Ron Kirk, returned the jabs during an appearance in Houston."The genius of the dream team has nothing to do with complexion," Mr. Kirk said...

President Bush holds a job approval rating "ten points higher than any other president at this juncture of their tenure since World War II." - Susan Pinkus and Jill Darling Richardson, LA Times, September 1, 2002 Republicans begin the fall campaign strongly positioned with record support for President Bush and a Republican lead on the generic congressional ballot test. Seven of ten registered voters approve of President Bush's job performance. The LA Times shows President Bush with a 70% job approval rating among registered voters and a similarly strong 68% rating among adults. The paper notes since their last...

Subj: Firing back Date: 07/15/2002 10:25:05 AM Central Daylight Time From: cmichau@listserv.nrsc.org To: skcalien@aol.com Good Morning, Republicans fired back this past Friday against Democrats over corporate wrongdoing, blaming them for opposing legislation to protect investors and accusing the Clinton administration of fostering a climate of deception in the 1990s. Sen. Phil Gramm, Texas Republican, said the climate of wrongdoing began with the 1993 Clinton tax increase, which "gratuitously" limited the tax deductibility of corporate executives' salaries to $1 million and encouraged "massive use of stock options and loans." "Now when people stand up screaming that stock options created this incentive...

Voters want Senate to help, not hinder, Bush 6/26/02 Source: Hill News By: Senator Bill Frist This article has been excerpted Inside the Beltway, it’s easy to succumb to the politics of November’s elections. Who’s up, who’s down, what the latest poll numbers are — what the media like to call the “horse race.” The folks I talk to around the country see it differently. Americans are tired of watching Senate Democrats play partisan political games with President Bush’s agenda. They know that the only way to ensure progress is to elect a Republican majority the president can count on....

Durbin lacks the profile of a winner April 24, 2002 BY STEVE NEAL, SUN-TIMES COLUMNIST His re-election isn't a done deal. Sen. Richard J. Durbin's potential vulnerability was exposed in the March 19 primary when nearly a third of Democratic voters shunned him. Durbin, 57, who is favored to win a second term in the general election, got the lightest vote among the four slated Democratic candidates who were unopposed in last month's primary. As the sitting U.S. senator, he had the top ballot position and should have led the Democratic ticket. But he fell short of those expectations....

Subj: One of this year's key Senate Races: New Jersey Date: 04/02/2002 7:57:15 PM Central Standard Time From: billfrist@listserv.nrsc.org To: skcalien@aol.com Dear NRSC E-Member, This year, you will be receiving updates from us on key Senate races across the country where we have a good chance to pick up Republican seats. Last week NRSC Communications Director Ginny Wolfe sent out an e-mail announcing the launch of our newest Web site, http://www.torricelliduck.com. We wanted to notify all of our supporters that the New Jersey Senate race is an important opportunity for us. Even if you don’t live in New Jersey, I...

Subj: Judge Pickering's nomination blocked & the latest news from the Senate races Date: 03/20/2002 7:37:27 PM Central Standard Time From: billfrist@listserv.nrsc.org To: skcalien@aol.com Dear NRSC E-member, In a jarring reminder of why we must elect a Bush Majority this November, Senate Democrats killed the nomination of Judge Charles Pickering, President Bush's choice for the federal bench. President Bush lamented "We are seeing a pattern where too often judicial confirmations are turned into ideological battles that delay justice and hurt our democracy." One more reason to try and sign up as many E-members as you can by telling them to...

One More Reason . . . Republicans will Regain Majority Between now and the election we will post daily to this webpage, #147;One More Reason#133; the Republicans will regain the majority in the Senate.quot; Friday, March 8: ...Because Lindsey Graham was endorsed today by 9 solicitors and 18 current and former sheriffs. Several of them cited his support of the death penalty, especially for those who kill law enforcement officers, as an important reason for their endorsement. Democrat Alex Sanders opposes the death penalty. Press Release from the Campaign of Lindsey Graham Thursday, March 7: ...Because Tim Johnson can't even...