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"A comprehensive, collaborative elections resource."
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How Bad Is It For Senate Republicans?
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| Contributor | kal |
| Last Edited | kal Mar 16, 2008 06:51am |
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| Category | Commentary |
| News Date | Sunday, March 16, 2008 12:50:00 PM UTC0:0 |
| Description | In the course of 24 hours earlier this week, the 2008 Senate landscape subtly shifted.
First, former South Dakota lieutenant governor Steve Kirby (R) decided against challenging incumbent Sen. Tim Johnson (D-S.D.).
Then, no Republican candidate filed to challenge Sen. Mark Pryor in Arkansas -- a state that President Bush carried with 54 percent in 2004 and that is likely to go Republican again in 2008.
Finally, Mike Ciresi dropped his bid for the Democratic Senate nomination in Minnesota, a decision that allows Al Franken (D) to focus full-time on Sen. Norm Coleman (R) for the next nine months.
For Republicans, these events, which all occurred on Monday, removed all hope of a serious challenge to Pryor and likely ended any chance of an A-list candidate emerging against Johnson. While many Republicans believe Franken will be a weak general election candidate, even the most loyal GOP strategists acknowledge that they would have preferred a costly and extended Democratic primary fight.
"Senate Republicans are in a huge hole that only gets deeper by the minute," said one senior Republican strategist who closely monitors Senate races.
The raw numbers paint a depressing tableaux for GOPers. Republicans must defend 23 seats in November, compared with only 12 for Democrats. Of the 23 Republican seats up this cycle, five are open while two -- Wyoming and Mississippi -- feature an appointed senator on the statewide ballot for the first time.
Democrats, by contrast, have no open seats and a single Democratic incumbent -- Sen. Mary Landrieu (La.) -- in serious electoral peril.
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