GOP Senate Massacre of '08
By gewcew23
@gewcew23 (8007)
United States
May 21, 2008 4:54pm CST
While McCain hangs in there, Republican in the Senate is facing obliteration in the 2008 general elections for the Senate. So even if McCain does win a Democrat controled Congress could tell him who is his daddy.
Of the open Republican Senate seats in contention, Democratic victory seems very likely in Virginia Democrat Mark Warner now has 55 percent, while Republican Jim Gilmore stands at 37, New Mexico where Democrat Rep. Tom Udall takes 53 percent to GOP Rep. Steve Pearce’s 37 and 57 percent to Republican Rep. Heather Wilson’s 36. In Colorado, Democrat Rep. Mark Udall has a narrow lead over Republican Bob Schaffer (45-42). Nebraska would seem safely Republican, but a humongous black turnout in Mississippi could elect former Democrat Gov. Ronnie Musgrove, just as it led to a Democratic congressional victory in a bi-election this month. Score them: two Democrat, one leaning Democrat, one leaning Republican, and one Republican. A net loss of two or three seats.
Then there are the endangered incumbents. Three GOP senators are actually behind their Democrat challengers. Alaska’s Ted Stevens is behind Mark Begich by 47-45. Elizabeth Dole trails Kay Hagan in North Carolina by 48-47. And Jeanne Shaheen is well ahead of John Sununu in New Hampshire, 51-43. Stevens’s legal problems and the likely huge black turnout in North Carolina make all three states lean Democratic at this point.
Even when GOP incumbents lead, they are perilously under 50 percent. In Oregon, as of this writing, Gordon Smith leads Jeff Merkley by only 45-42 and Steve Novick by 47-41. And in Texas, John Cornyn leads Rick Noriega by only 47-43. In addition, Norm Coleman in Minnesota is hanging on by his teeth against Al Franken, 50-43; Susan Collins is only narrowly ahead of Rep. Tom Allen in Maine, 52-42; and in Kansas, Pat Roberts holds only a 52-40 lead over Jim Slattery. Mitch McConnell in Kentucky may also be in trouble.
3 responses
@anniepa (27955)
• United States
18 Jun 08
Thank you, Agfarm, for the needed reminded that we are all in this together! The divisiveness in this country is really getting old! Why does it have to be in a political campaign that if you like and support one candidate that has to mean you hate everyone else that's running? Wouldn't working together and discussing each other's ideas on how to solve our nation's problems make more sense and get better results?
Annie
@redyellowblackdog (10629)
• United States
22 May 08
I'm impressed you can keep up with and understand all of this. I sure can't do it.
1 person likes this
@anniepa (27955)
• United States
22 May 08
This isn't looking to be a very good year for the GOOP by the very nature of the Senate election calendar. Every two years one-third of the Senate comes up for re-election as as luck would have it for the Republicans this year out of the 33 seats up for grabs 22 of them are currently held by Republicans and as you pointed out many of them are far from "secure". The likely result will be an increased majority for the Democrats however it's far from a sure thing that they'll get enough of a majority to be "filibuster-proof" let alone "veto-proof" in the even of a McCain Presidency. What we'll likely have if McCain wins in November is, in my opinion, either major gridlock or a President that will have to move at least slightly to the center to accommodate the Congress. We may hopefully be saved from Supreme Court Justices who would likely bring about the end of Roe vs. Wade.
Annie
