"Dems in GOP States Stay Distant From Party"

[GreenPartyVoter]

WASHINGTON (AP) - Democrats running for the Senate in Republican-leaning states want to be more like President Bush clearing brush in Crawford, Texas, than John Kerry windsurfing off Nantucket Island, Mass.

Democratic chances of regaining control of the Senate may depend on candidates who run away from their party platform and their presidential contender.

"We've got eight or nine really competitive races and just about all are in strong Bush states," said Larry Sabato, director of the Center for Politics at the University of Virginia. "Democrats have some bad luck here."

Republicans control the Senate 51-48 with one Democratic-leaning independent, but the minority party's gap becomes wider on an election map where most close races are in states likely to go for Bush.

http://apnews1.iwon.com/article/20041101/D8634N4G0.html