With Dick Lugar losing and Mitt Romney locked in as the Republican candidate for President, it’s time to look at the US Senate race more closely.\u00a0\u00a0 If Romney wins, but loses the Senate or only has a 1 or 2 vote majority, he is in a weak position to make significant changes, like repealing RomneyCare…..\u00a0 errr\u00a0 ObamaCare.\u00a0 You may remember in the past, Jim Jeffords of Vermont decided in 200 that it wasn’t safe for Republicans to control the Senate and switched to become Democrat after the election, giving effective control of the Senate to Democrats in 2001 with a 50\/50 tie.<\/p>\n
With squishy Republicans like Susan Collins (ME) and the ever likely possibility of Democrats funding legal election dispute witch hunts and recall elections, it’s important not to allow one senate seat to be the margin of victory.\u00a0 Ideally, Republicans would control 60 seats to prevent the filibuster being used to block Republican initiatives.<\/p>\n
Looking over the list, it’s striking what a watershed year 2006 was, when the country strongly repudiated George W Bush in the middle of his second term, switching control for the US Senate from Republican to Democrat with 6 seats going Democrat.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Those Senators are up for their first reelection challenge, having served 3 of their 6 years without even being able to pass a budget resolution.\u00a0\u00a0 11 of the 33 up for reelection are retiring (7 Democrats, 4 Republicans) and 1 (or possibly 2) Republicans getting forced retirement in the primary elections.<\/p>\n
| State<\/th> | Obama \r\n2008 %<\/th> | Incombant<\/th> | Party<\/th> | Since<\/th> | Status<\/th> | Challengers<\/th>\n<\/tr>\n<\/thead>\n |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Not up for election<\/td> | <\/td> | 37 (R) \r\n 30 (D)<\/td> | <\/td> | <\/td> | <\/td> | <\/td>\n<\/tr>\n |
| Arizona<\/td> | 45%<\/td> | John Kyl<\/td> | Republican <\/td> | 1994<\/td> | Retiring<\/td> | Primary August 28th \r\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n |
| California<\/td> | 51%<\/td> | Dianne Feinstein<\/td> | Democrat <\/td> | 1992<\/td> | Running<\/td> | Elizabeth Emken (R) \r\nAutism Speaks <\/td>\n<\/tr>\n |
| Connecticut<\/td> | 59%<\/td> | Joe Lieberman<\/td> | Democrat <\/td> | 1988<\/td> | Retiring<\/td> | Primary August 14th<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n |
| Delaware<\/td> | 61%<\/td> | Tom Carper<\/td> | Democrat <\/td> | 2000<\/td> | Running<\/td> | Primary September 11<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n |
| Florida<\/td> | 51%<\/td> | Bill Nelson<\/td> | Democrat<\/td> | 2000<\/td> | Running<\/td> | George LeMieux (R)<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n |
| Hawaii<\/td> | 72%<\/td> | Daniel Akaka<\/td> | Democrat<\/td> | 1990<\/td> | Retiring<\/td> | Primary August 11 \r\nMazie Hirono (D) \r\nLinda Lingle (R)<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n |
| Indiana<\/td> | 50%<\/td> | Richard Lugar<\/td> | Republican <\/td> | 1976<\/td> | Defeated in Primary<\/td> | Richard Mourdock (R) \r\nJoe Donnelly, (D)<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n |
| Maine<\/td> | 58%<\/td> | Olympia Snowe<\/td> | Republican<\/td> | 1994<\/td> | Retiring<\/td> | Primary June 12<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n |
| Maryland<\/td> | 61%<\/td> | Ben Cardin<\/td> | Democrat<\/td> | 2006<\/td> | Running<\/td> | Dan Bongino (R)<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n |
| Massachusetts<\/td> | 62%<\/td> | Scott Brown<\/td> | Republican <\/td> | 2010<\/td> | Running<\/td> | Primary September 6<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n |
| Michigan<\/td> | 57%<\/td> | Debbie Stabenow<\/td> | Democrat <\/td> | 2000<\/td> | Running<\/td> | Primary August 7<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n |
| Minnesota<\/td> | 54%<\/td> | Amy Klobuchar<\/td> | Democrat <\/td> | 2006<\/td> | Running<\/td> | Primary August 14<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n |
| Mississippi<\/td> | 43%<\/td> | Richard Wicker<\/td> | Republican <\/td> | 2006<\/td> | Running<\/td> | Al N Gore, Jr (D)<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n |
| Missouri<\/td> | 49%<\/td> | Claire McCaskill<\/td> | Democrat<\/td> | 2006<\/td> | Running<\/td> | Primary August 7th<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n |
| Montana<\/td> | 47%<\/td> | Jojhn Tester<\/td> | Democrat <\/td> | 2006<\/td> | Running<\/td> | Denny Rehberg(R)<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n |
| Nebraska<\/td> | 41%<\/td> | Ben Nelson<\/td> | Democrat <\/td> | 2000<\/td> | Retiring<\/td> | Deb Brown (R) \r\nBob Kerrey (D) (former Sen)<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n |
| Nevada<\/td> | 55%<\/td> | Dean Heller<\/td> | Republican <\/td> | 2011<\/td> | Appointed, running<\/td> | Primary June 12<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n |
| New Jersey<\/td> | 57%<\/td> | Bob Menendez<\/td> | Democrat <\/td> | 2006<\/td> | Running<\/td> | Joe Kyrillo (R)<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n |
| New Mexico<\/td> | 56%<\/td> | Jeff Bingamen<\/td> | Democrat <\/td> | 1982<\/td> | Retiring<\/td> | Heather Wilson (R) \r\nMartin Heinrich (D)<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n |
| New York<\/td> | 63%<\/td> | Kirsten Gillibrand<\/td> | Democrat<\/td> | 2009<\/td> | Running<\/td> | Primary June 26<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n |
| North Dakota<\/td> | 44%<\/td> | Kent Conrad<\/td> | Democrat <\/td> | 1986<\/td> | Retiring<\/td> | Primary June 12<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n |
| Ohio<\/td> | 51%<\/td> | Sherrod Brown<\/td> | Democrat <\/td> | 2006<\/td> | Running<\/td> | Josh Mandell(R)<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n |
| Pennsylvania<\/td> | 55%<\/td> | Bob Casey, Jr<\/td> | Democrat <\/td> | 2006<\/td> | Running<\/td> | Tom Smith (R)<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n |
| Rhode island<\/td> | 53%<\/td> | Sheldon Whitehouse<\/td> | Democrat <\/td> | 2006<\/td> | Running<\/td> | Primary September 11<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n |
| Tennessee<\/td> | 41%<\/td> | Bob Corker<\/td> | Republican <\/td> | 2006<\/td> | Running<\/td> | Primary August 2nd<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n |
| Texas<\/td> | 43%<\/td> | Key Bailey Hutchison<\/td> | Republican <\/td> | 1993<\/td> | Retiring<\/td> | Runoff July 31 \r\nDewhurst\/Cruz (R) \r\nSadler\/Yarbrough (D)<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n |
| Utah<\/td> | 34%<\/td> | Orrin Hatch<\/td> | Republican <\/td> | 1976<\/td> | Running \r\nPrimary challenge<\/td> | Dan Liljenquist (R) \r\nScott Howell (D)<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n |
| Vermont<\/td> | 67%<\/td> | Bernie Sanders<\/td> | Socialist <\/td> | 2006<\/td> | Running<\/td> | H. Brooke Paige (R)<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n |
| Virginia<\/td> | 53%<\/td> | Jim Webb<\/td> | Democrat<\/td> | 2006<\/td> | Retiring<\/td> | George Allen (R) \r\nTim Kaine(D)<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n |
| Washington<\/td> | 58%<\/td> | Maria Cantwell<\/td> | Democrat <\/td> | 2000<\/td> | Running<\/td> | Michael Baumgartner (R)<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n |
| West Virginia<\/td> | 42%<\/td> | Joe Manchin<\/td> | Democrat <\/td> | 2006<\/td> | Retiring<\/td> | John Raese (R)<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n |
| Wisconsin<\/td> | 56%<\/td> | Herb Kohl <\/td> | Democrat <\/td> | 1988<\/td> | Retiring<\/td> | Primary August 14<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n |
| Wyoming<\/td> | 32%<\/td> | Joe Barrasso<\/td> | Republican <\/td> | 2007<\/td> | Running<\/td> | Primary August 21<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\nWho is Running for US Senate in 2012 and do Republicans have a chance?<\/span>\n\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" With Dick Lugar losing and Mitt Romney locked in as the Republican candidate for President, it’s time to look at the US Senate race more closely.\u00a0\u00a0 If Romney wins, but loses the Senate or only has a 1 or 2 … Continue reading |