THE LINE FOR 2010 SENATE RACES by DrTed (Info from the Cook Report and the Washington Post)

 

In the never-ending political season, The Cook Report has published its first line on the 2010 senate races.   In 2010, 35 seats will be contested (including President-Elect Obama’s and VP-Elect Biden’s old seats). Republicans hold 19 seats and the Democrats hold 16 of these seats. 

 

The political pundits (Cook and Chris Cilliza of the Washington Post) suggest the possibility of five competitive races in 2010 among Republican held Senate seats.  Cook projects three tossup races among these seats, Florida (Martinez), Kentucky (Bunning), and Louisiana (Vetter).  Cook’s group also projects PA (Specter) leaning Republican.

 

 In addition, Chris Cilliza recently wrote that the Republican held Senate seat in Kansas (Brownback, R) might be competitive. (Kansas, my second home state, has had only three Democratic U.S. Senators in its history, with the last Democratic Senator being George McGill in 1938.) This is because Brownback (an archconservative) is retiring and the very popular Democratic Governor Kathleen Sebelius might be running for this seat.  Governor Sebelius (who was an early and active supporter of President-Elect Obama) cannot run for a third term as Kansas governor.

 

Cook does not project any competitive races among Democratic held seats.  Of the Democratic Senators up for re-election, only Salazar (CO) might be vulnerable (and not much at that). You may remember that Salazar had a tough and bitter fight against Pete Coors in 2004.

 

Chris Cilliza (I guess to be controversial) suggests that Republicans might challenge Democratic Senator Barbara Boxer (CA).  Senator Boxer is one of the most outspoken Democrats in the Senate and the Republicans have long been eyeing her seat.  Cilliza suggest that the Arnold (Schwarzenegger) might vie for this seat.  (Dream-on, Repubs!)

 

Senator Harry Reid (NV) might also face serious opposition.  Challenging the leader of the opposition has recently become an American tradition. Good luck there too.  Senator Reid has won re-elections in Republican years (1998 and 2004).

 

To sum up, there might be seven U.S. Senate races (5 currently Republican seats and 2 Democratic seats) to watch in 2010.  Kentucky should once again capture the national spotlight, with one of the top three competitive U.S. Senate contests.

 

(To read Chris Cillizza’s article, click here:  Friday Senate Line: The 2010 Landscape)

 

(To read the Cook Projects, click here:  2010 SENATE RACE RATINGS)

Comments

[Austin Price]

Kentucky already has a strong candidate against Jim Bunning for the U.S. Senate race in 2010. Darlene Fitzgerald Price is a veteran, a former Special Agent, a national security whistleblower who has testified before congress, and the author of "Bordergate." check out her web site: www.Darlene4Senate.com