2006 Senate Races

[illbill]

http://www.realopinion.com/realboards/showthread.php?t=1025

For anyone who doesn't know them yet.

[PROGRESSIVE1]

1. WTF is this?

"Republicans are defending fewer seats, 15, than Democrats and stand a good chance of picking up seats as they did in 2002 and 2004."

How the HELL can Republicans have a good chance of picking up seats again? Three cycles in a row they are getting seats??? :wtf:

Is America that GD right wing???

:grr:

[youngred]

3. The Nelson's and the freshmen senators may be in trouble

additionally if Colin Powell decides to run in NY he could give Hillary a scare. Furthermore, you have to KNOW they will go after Jeffords with everything they have to pay him back for defecting

Whereas we can only realistically challenge Snowe, Chaffee (two good moderate republicans) and Santorum with any hope of succes.

[Hippo_Tron]

20. Going after Jeffords would be a waste of money, they know that

Vermont is a liberal state, Jeffords is a popular long serving senator. For every Republican vote that the lost for switching parties, he gained 5 democratic votes.

[youngred]

21. while that is partially true

it doesn't mean they won't. Bush praises loyalty more than anything else, and he will be target number one, even if they don't manage to beat him

[PROGRESSIVE1]

32. Yes, but we must be ready and we WILL be.

Jeffords in a LANDSLIDE 2006!!!

[Wisc Badger]

8. In Wisconsin if Tommy wants to run for the Senate

he would stand an excellent chance of winning (he is IMHO the only GOP type who could win a state wide election for Senate) against Kohl, who has always drawn lackluster opposition due to the fact that he scared them off with his deep pockets of money.

Wisconsin could be a GOP pick up in 06.:argh:

[forgethell]

9. It's certainly beginning to look

like it, isn't it? Either that or Karl Rove really is a genius. Or both.

Doesn't look too good, does it? Especially as, except for the tin-foil hatters, I don't think anybody has a coherent idea what went wrong. And they're just plain wrong.

[PROGRESSIVE1]

30. What do you see for 2006?

[forgethell]

37. Do you want the truth?

More of the same, unless the Democratic Party can find a new paradigm. Splitting or going to the Green Party may work in the long run, I don't know. but it will certainly, IMO, fail for 2006.

[SaveElmer]

2. Only 3 vulnerable on Democratic side

Ben Nelson, Nebraska, Bill Nelson, Florida, and Mark Dayton, Minnesota. All definitely winnable.

On the other hand I see no vulnerable Republicans except possibly Santorum in Pennsylvania and Burns in Montana. I personally think we should go after Chaffee on the same basis as Van Hollen beat Connie Morrella in Maryland, by emphasizing support for the right wing of their party.

[PROGRESSIVE1]

4. Chaffee is a Trent Lott Republican.

[LetsGoMurphys]

11. how?

How is Chaffee a Trent Lott Republican?

[youngred]

23. Welcome to DU

I LOVE the nick btw!

and I too am curious how Chafee is a Trent Lott Republican

[PROGRESSIVE1]

28. He backs the right wing leadership of the Rethug Party.

He is an enabler of them.

[DemocratSinceBirth]

38. I Second That...

And he voted against IWR and for Kerry...

[fujiyama]

52. Are you sure he voted for Kerry?

I thought he said he wrote in Bush Sr.

BTW, I haven't seen around here much in a while. How's it goin?

[genius]

54. He formally announced he would not vote for Dubya.

I belived in his announcement he said he was supporting Kerry. Does anyone have the announcement?

[HeilChimp]

48. Jeffords is a little Lott apologist too. He must GO

“Vermont GOP Chairman Joe Acinapura prefers to highlight the fact that Jeffords voted 71 percent of the time in support of issues that Bush favors, according to National Journal rankings.”
--Gannett via Bloomberg, 3/3/03


Ashcroft Attorney General Confirmation. (Roll Call Vote No. 8 ) 0000-
Confirmation of President Bush's nomination of John Ashcroft of Missouri to be attorney general. American Conservative Union supported this nomination, and considers it a critical test of whether conservatives could be confirmed for executive nominations by the Senate and, therefore, significant enough to give it double weight.
Senator Jeffords voted: In Support of American Conservative Union

Defense Spending Increase H. Con. Res. 83 (Roll Call Vote No. 72 )
Warner (R-VA) amendment to the Budget Act providing for an increase of $8.5 billion for national defense spending. American Conservative Union supported this bill.
Senator Jeffords voted: In Support of American Conservative Union

Bolton Nomination (Roll Call Vote No. 92 )0000-00-00
Confirmation of President Bush's nomination of John Robert Bolton of Maryland to be Undersecretary of State for Arms Control and International Security.
ACU supported this bill.
Senator Jeffords voted: In Support of American Conservative Union

Tax Cut Bill HR 1836 (Roll Call Vote No. 170 ) 0000-00-00
Adoption of the final version of the tax cut bill, reducing taxes by $1.35 trillion through 2010 through income tax rate cuts, relief of the "marriage penalty," a phase-out of the federal estate tax, doubling the child tax credit, and providing incentives for retirement savings. American Conservative Union supported this bill.
Senator Jeffords voted: In Support of American Conservative Union

Taxpayer Funding for Gun Turn-Ins HR 2620 (Roll Call Vote No. 267 )
Craig (R-ID) motion to kill an amendment to the Housing and Urban Development Appropriations Bill creating a $15 million program for HUD to buy guns from the public.
ACU supported this bill.
Senator Jeffords voted: In Support of American Conservative Union

Strikes by Public Safety Employees HR 3061 (Roll Call Vote No. 323 ) 2020-01-11
Motion to limit debate on the Daschle (D-SD) amendment to the Labor-HHS Appropriations Bill that would provide collective bargaining rights, including the right to strike, to police, firemen, and other public safety officers employed by states, counties and cities. American Conservative Union opposed the Daschle amendment, and the motion. This motion requires a three-fifths vote of the Senate, so it failed, though it did receive a majority of votes.
ACU opposed this bill.
Senator Jeffords voted: In Support of American Conservative Union

Democratic Stimulus and Spending Bill. HR 622 (Roll Call 13) 2002-02-06
The cloture motion would require a vote on an economic stimulus and spending bill introduced by Majority Leader Daschle. The bill would increase spending above the budget by providing $5 billion in assistance to states, allowing for a $300 rebate to taxpayers who did not earn them in 2001, extending unemployment benefits and giving a tax cut to certain businesses, but do nothing for overall tax rates. Although the bill received a 56-39 majority on 6 February 2002, it failed because it would waive the Congressional Budget Act spending limits, which required 60 votes. American Conservative Union opposed this massive and unfunded spending bill. American Conservative Union opposed this bill.
Senator Jeffords voted: Absent

Government Discrimination in Farm Regulation. S. 1731 (Roll Call 15)
The amendment would discriminate against large cattle and dairy farms in obtaining environmental quality incentives to construct animal waste treatment facilities. The vote was 44-52, on 6 February 2002. American Conservative Union opposed the amendment.
ACU opposed this bill.
Senator Jeffords voted: Absent

Military Base Closings. HR 1588 (Roll Call 205) 2003-06-04
This amendment would have canceled the next round of military base closings. American Conservative Union believes our military must be as “lean and mean” as possible, and that closing some bases can contribute to a strong defense. American Conservative Union opposed the amendment. It was defeated by a vote of 42-53 on 4 June 2003. American Conservative Union opposed this bill.
Senator Jeffords voted: In Support of American Conservative Union

Prescription Drug Benefit Means Testing. S. 1 (Roll Call 261)2003-06-26
This amendment would have barred a cost-saving means test for new benefits in the Medicare prescription drug bill. American Conservative Union supported means testing and opposed this amendment. It failed 38-59 on 26 June 2003. American Conservative Union opposed this bill.
Senator Jeffords voted: In Support of American Conservative Union

Trade Promotion Authority. HR 3009 (Roll Call 130) 2002-05-23
The bill would renew the president's traditional authority to negotiate trade agreements with other countries and extend trade benefits on certain goods to Bolivia, Colombia, Ecuador and Peru. American Conservative Union supported this bill, which passed 66-30 on 23 May 2002.
ACU supported this bill.
Senator Jeffords voted: In Support of American Conservative Union

Protection of Innocent Third Parties. S. 2600 (Roll Call 152) 2002-06-13
The motion would kill an amendment to limit non-economic, punitive damages against innocent third parties as a result of a terrorist attack. American Conservative Union opposed this effort to force blameless businessmen to pay trial lawyers for acts perpetrated by terrorists, but it was passed by a vote of 50-46 on 13 June 2002.ACU opposed this bill.
Senator Jeffords voted: Absent

SJ Res 6. Ergonomics Rule Disapproval.
Passage of a joint resolution to reverse the ergonomics workplace safety rule submitted by the Clinton Administration's Labor Department. Passed 56-44. March 6, 2001. A no vote is a +.
Sen. Jeffords voted AGAINST Americans for Democratic Action

S 420. Social Security "Lockbox."
Domenici (R-NM) motion to waive the Budget Act in order to ensure that the Social Security surplus is used only to pay down the public debt until Social Security reform legislation is enacted. The bill would also ensure that the surplus in the Medicare Hospital Insurance Trust Fund is used only to pay down the public debt until Medicare reform legislation is enacted. Motion rejected 52-48 (a three-fifths majority vote - 60 - is required to waive the Budget Act.) March 13, 2001. A no vote is a +.
Sen. Jeffords voted AGAINST Americans for Democratic Action

H Con Res 83. Prescription Drug Benefit/Tax Cuts.
Grassley (R-IA) amendment to reserve $300 billion over 10 years to create a Medicare prescription drug benefit and overhaul the program. This amendment was a response to Democratic legislation which would have allocated $311 billion for the benefit and not allowed the benefit's funding to come from the Medicare Hospital Trust Fund Surplus. Adopted 51-50, with Vice President Cheney casting a "yea" vote. April 3, 2001. A no vote is a +.
Sen. Jeffords voted AGAINST Americans for Democratic Action

H Con Res 83. Fiscal 2002 Budget Reconciliation.
Domenici (R-NM) amendment to instruct the Senate Finance Committee to report two reconciliation bills to the Senate that would reduce revenue levels by not more than the President's proposed $1.6 trillion tax cut, and include a $60 billion economic stimulus package for fiscal 2001. Adopted 51-49. April 5, 2001. A no vote is a +.
Sen. Jeffords voted AGAINST Americans for Democratic Action

H Con Res 83. Funding for Environmental Programs.
Corzine (D-NJ) amendment to increase funding for a wide variety of environmental programs by $50 billion and set aside $50 billion for debt reduction. The increases would be offset by reductions in the proposed tax cut. Rejected 46-54. April 5, 2001. A yes vote is a +.
Sen. Jeffords voted AGAINST Americans for Democratic Action

H Con Res 83. "Marriage Penalty" Tax.
Hutchison (R-TX) amendment to increase the proposed tax cut by $69 billion for fiscal 2002-2011 in an effort to eliminate the co-called marriage penalty. Adopted 51-50, with Vice President Cheney casting a "yea" vote. April 5, 2001. A no vote is a +
Sen. Jeffords voted AGAINST Americans for Democratic Action.

S I. School Renovation and Construction.
Harkin (D-IA) amendment to authorize $1.6 billion for fiscal 2002 and such sums as necessary for each fiscal year between 2003 and 2006 for the construction and renovation of public elementary and secondary school buildings. Rejected 49-50. May 16, 2001. A yes vote is a +.
Sen. Jeffords voted AGAINST Americans for Democratic Action

HR 1836. Estate Tax.
Dorgan (D-ND) amendment to strike the estate-tax repeal provision and repeal the estate tax in 2003 for only all qualified family-owned farms and businesses. It also would reduce the top estate-tax rate bracket to 45 percent. Rejected 43-56. May 21, 2001. A yes vote is a +.
Sen. Jeffords voted AGAINST Americans for Democratic Action

HR 1836. Head Start.
Kennedy (D-MA) amendment to condition the reductions in the marginal income-tax rate on full funding for Head Start programs. Motion rejected 45-54. May 22, 2001. A yes vote is a +.
Sen. Jeffords voted AGAINST Americans for Democratic Action

HR 1836. Tax Cut Reconciliation Bill.
Adoption of the conference report on the bill to reduce taxes by $1.35 trillion through fiscal 2011 through income tax rate cuts, relief of the "marriage penalty," phase-out of the federal estate tax, doubling of the child tax credit, and new incentives for retirement savings. A new 10 percent tax rate would be created retroactive to January 1. The bill would double the $5000-per-child tax credit by 2010 and make it refundable, raise the estate tax exemption to $1 million in 2002 and repeal the tax in 2010, increase the standard deduction for married couples to double that of singles over five years, beginning in 2005, and increase annual contributions limits for Individual Retirement Accounts. The bill's provisions would expire December 31, 2010. Adopted 58-33. May 26, 2001. A no vote is a +.
Sen. Jeffords voted AGAINST Americans for Democratic Action

S 1052. Patients' Bill of Rights.
Passage of the bill to provide federal patient protections and allow patients to appeal a health maintenance organization's (HMO) decision on coverage and treatment. It also would allow patients to sue health insurers in state courts over quality-of-care claims and, at the federal level, over administrative or non-medical coverage disputes. Passed 59-36. June 29, 2001. A yes vote is a +.
Sen. Jeffords voted AGAINST Americans for Democratic Action

[Annus Horribilis]

5. Hillary Clinton

I have a feeling the Repubs are going to throw everything they have at her. I'm guessing they run Rudy against her.

[youngred]

6. I agree with the first part, but I don't think Rudy wants any part of it

he was in trouble already before he had to ow out last time and he has a highly lucrative job as it is now.

[Annus Horribilis]

7. Maybe Pataki?

There is no way he can beat Spitzer, so maybe he will drop out of the gubernatorial race and run for senate? As we know the Repubs have some weird obsession with the Clinton's, so I can't see them not trying to take her seat.

[youngred]

22. That's part of the speculation

they will definitely try to take her seat. But Pataki has lost a lot of support in the past couple years, the only reason he beat McCall was because McCall ran one of the worst campaigns I've ever seen and because he outspent him and called in a lot of political favours. I agree that he'd get handed his hat by Spitzer and there is a lot of speculation that he would decide to move into the Senate (even though that would hurt his presidential ambitions a bit). Clinton will definitely be in their sights, but a lot of NYC loves Hillary, and I think that may be enough to counter-balance upstate NY which has mellowed on her (despite very strong opposition). Furthermore her continued support of the Iraq war will be a strong selling point upstate and take away a very valuable weapon they had been looking to use against her.

[SaveElmer]

15. Neither Guiliani or Pataki will be able to take Hillary

Pataki in particular would have no chance...and while Guiliani is close in current polls, his political baggage would doom him.

[morgan2]

36. why would they want her out?

she's their biggest fund raising lightning rod. They just mention her being in the Senate on their campaign literature and people donate like crazy.

[donheld]

10. Anyone know if Robert Byrd or Ted Kennedy will retire?

[LetsGoMurphys]

12. sure

hope not

[DemGirl7]

40. I argee...

I don't want Byrd to go personally, because he seems to be one of the few Democrats that actually has guts to speak out against many Bush policies, and who knows if anyone will after he goes...,since alot of them like just lie down die, and let the Repukicans walk all over them.

[IStriker]

49. Byrd will go out "feet first." He won't retire.

[Stinky The Clown]

13. Not sure about Byrd or Kennedy, but the rumor is that Sarbannes

in Maryland might be.

[Pepperbelly]

16. one or both of them has already announced but I do not remember which. nt

[Stinky The Clown]

27. I'm in Maryalnd, so it isn't Sarbannes

So far, it has all been speculation and rumor.

I also heard about Byrd, but can't recall at all if it was also rumor or if it was confirmed.

[IStriker]

50. I have not heard anything about either one retiring or saying his previous

run might be his last.

[autorank]

14. This is totally irrelevant for 2006. It's just fund raising promo.

This assumes that the Democratic party still has its head in the sand. If it does, we'll lose more than four seats.

Events, however, are critical to 2006. Think of Iraq in 2 years. If we're there, fugeditaboutit, people will be furious. If we're gone, there will be a fragmented group of smaller countries, one (the Sunni part) will hate us, another (the Shia part) will be allied with Iran. Gee was that worth all the trouble. Think of more jobs overseas, more good jobs. Think of stagflation, a term from the '70's that will apply or deflation, an older phenomena, which will hurt badly. This analysis does not factor in reasonable predictions about events.

In addition backbone and focus may return to the Democrats. There are at least a few in the Senate smart enough to realize that incremental retreat won't work. Hopefully, they will start fighting; on their own or with prodding from the DNC, House, & state parties.

Finally, think about the second terms of: Nixon, Clinton, & Reagan. Not a fun time to be president. The first two were impeached, the third escaped because people thought he was not "present enough" to be responsible or handle the process.

Gimme a farking break. Lets focus on our job as a party.

Looking at polls like this is like trying to drive by relying primarily on what you see in the rear view mirror.

PS. And remember, today's 16 year olds will be voting in 2006. The youth vote did turn out, contrary to "newspeak" sources.

[knight_of_the_star]

17. Grrr, I don't like this

We need to knock out 7 seats to retake the Senate, and the problem is two or three good targets are also good to KEEP in the Senate because they disagree with Bush. If anyone can come up with a list of 7 Repubs that we can take out in '06 that are GOOD targets and not lose any of ours, then we're looking good.

[Hippo_Tron]

19. I'd rather three democrats than Snowe, DeWine, and Chafee...

Dick Lugar's seat isn't going to be competative. Snowe and DeWine vote with the democrats on occasion for political gain. Chafee's a liberal but nonetheless he's supporting the Republicans. If the democrat running against him were a genuine progressive I'd vote for the democrat.

[Hippo_Tron]

18. Dayton, the Nelsons, and the NJ seat need to be defended

Despite the fact that Nelson of Nebraska is a DINO, you know that they will portray him as a liberal simply for the fact that he's in our party. But anyway, it's Nebraska, I'll take any democrat that I can get. If Jeb runs for the Senate in Florida, Nelson might be seriously fucked. Hopefully that won't happen. Dayton will recieve a formidable challenge but it's an offyear election and the Republicans have the white house. I think that we can hold it.

New Jersey is a big if. Jon Corzine is going to run for Governor and most likely he will win and resign from the Senate. Thus we will have an open senate seat. Democrats will obviously have the advantage but the GOP might be able to exploit the McGreevey incident in their favor. The best way to go is to nominate a candidate who isn't an insider.

Now as for Democratic pickups, here's the top possibilities.

Tennesee - Bill Frist is definately stepping down to run for president. Harold For Jr will probably run and has a good shot. I read something about maybe Tim McGraw getting into the race which would be awesome for us.

Indiana - Lugar is old and may very likely retire. Maybe Bayh can help put another democrat in the senate from Indiana.

Pennsylvania - Slick rick has gotten himself into some serious trouble lately. We could very well unseat man-on-dog's ass.

Missouri - Bush took Missouri but not by a huge margin. Talent is a Bush ass-kissing Republican. I think we have a shot if we associate Talent with every unpopular Bush policy.

Mississippi - Believe it or not, Mississippi's democratic Attorney General is pretty popular. Trent Lott, all bent out of shape over losing his job as majority leader, may leave the senate for a high paying lobbyist job. If this is an open seat, we may have a shot.

Texas - Hutchinson may run for governor making this an open seat. Maybe some centrist dem congressman can make this a competative race, we'll see.

Ohio - Voinovich won without a real challenge this year but he was a two term governor. Bush won Ohio (well, maybe) but as we all know, it was extremely close. This is an offyear election and chances are that Bush will not be as popular as he was this year. To win this seat we need to do the same thing that I've suggested that we do in Missouri. Associate DeWine with the unpopular policies of Bush.

Maine + Rhode Island - I don't think that either of these will be competative. Snowe might not have high regards amongst liberals nationally but in Maine she is very well liked. I think that with Chafee it will be the same thing. His father was a popular politician in the state and he's the most liberal member of the GOP caucus. I'd like to unseat him because I'd like a democrat in there but I don't think that the people of Rhode Island feel the same way.

The advantage that we have in 2006 is that it's a midterm election which is good for the party that doesn't have the white house. Bush will be proposing a radical agenda and he will be very controversial. The bad news is that almost all of our possible pickups are in red states, many of them are dark red.

[saltpoint]

24. Thank you for this great overview & insight.

I loved your synopsis of Santorum in Pennsylvania.

[Nashyra]

25. Maybe we can get rid of John Ensign in Nevada

That would be a good thing, we could use Yucca Mountain again. * lost ground in Nevada.

[saltpoint]

26. Boy, that sure would be ok by me.

I would definitely not miss ol' John Ensign.

The man is a footstool.

[Hippo_Tron]

45. OOH Good thought, I totally forgot about him

I thought for a bit that John Ensign was a long serving senator, turns out he only has one term under his belt.

My analysis

Nevada went blue in two of the last four presidential elections and was very close this time and in 2000. Yucca Mountain is definately a key issue and again, he will be a Republican going into a midterm election defending chimpy's extreme agenda. I think that this one, along with Missouri and Ohio really depends on what kind of candidate we can field. If we can get really good candidates in all three of these states then I think that we can crush all three of these GOP partisan hacks.

[PROGRESSIVE1]

29. Menendez should run in New Jersey for the Senate.

Chaffee can be defeated. Do what Chris Van Hollen did to Connie Morella (Maryland 8). Paint Chaffee as being pro right wing because of his caucus support. It worked in Maryland and it can work in Rhode Island.

[Hippo_Tron]

34. Chafee is kind of the GOP's equivalent of Evan Bayh

The biggest problem with unseating him is incumbency and his father's name. The GOP didn't really try to unseat Bayh in dark red Indiana for the same reason. We'll see what happens but I have a feeling that Chafee is safe.

[HeilChimp]

47. replace "Independant" Jeffords with a DEM, easy pickup!

SEATS TO FOCUS ON IN 2006:


Allen, George (R-VA)
The Dems took the governorship here and they can take that Senate seat back. However, a gun-nut DINO like Warner is not the guy to do it. We need a big name Democrat with a national base like Jim Moran or Bobby Scott, they will be able to raise BIG $$$ from progressives everywhere.

Akaka, Daniel (D-HI)
Akaka will be in his 80s. We have to defend this seat from a stealth repug campaign. They took the governorship of HI and are getting cocky about their chances there.

Burns, Conrad (R-MT)
Montana has been treading surprising Dem lately for a rurual western state, given their Dem governor and Dem senator now. I think we can pick up the other Senate seat as well.

Dayton, Mark (D-MN)
What a disappointment. Dayton was supposed to be Wellstone II and instead ended up as Holy Joe LIEberman II. He is an embarrassment to Dems everywhere and a sitting duck for the Repugs (just watch him on CSPAN and ask yourself if he could win a debate against some fascist Repug), and this seat will go Repug unless we find a better candidate in the primary. Jim Oberstar, your country needs you!

Cantwell, Maria (D-WA)
Maria Cantvotewell. Another huge disappointment who will face a tough opponent with Dino Rossi (ugh!) or Jennifer Dunn. We need a BETTER Democrat for this seat because the Repugs will be out in droves to “avenege” losing the governorship. Jim McDermott is the kind of person we desperately need in the Senate right now, a Democrat with SPINE.

Chaffee, Lincoln (R-RI)
As someone noted earlier, just as we took out Connie Morella, we can take out little Linc chaffee. Yeah he votes our way half the time but he votes to keep Frist in power and it’s much easier to remove repugs in solid blue states. The Mayor of Cranston, Steven Laffey, is gonna primary challenge this guy and we need to secretly fund the far-right repugs so they can weaken Chaffee for the general election.

DeWine, Mike (R-OH)
We know Kerry is the TRUE winner of Ohio if not for Repug fraud. We are LONG overdue for a statewide in Ohio because there are plenty of progressive areas. The problem is the Dems keep running token opposition and giving their Repug incumbents a free pass. Can you say Senator Kucinich? I know I can!

Feinstein, Dianne (D-CA)
I think this will be an open seat and DiFi will run against Ahnuld for Governor in 2006. California could produce the first openly gay or Hispanic female senator, lots of interesting choices here.

Frist, Bill (R-TN)
We can take out Frist because he will just assume he can use 2006 as a springboard to the Presidential campaign in 2008. Al Gore for Senate, yeah baby! (and NO to DINO Harold Ford!)

Hutchison, Kay Bailey (R-TX)
Everyone thinks TX is safe Repug. I’m calling for an upset here. Hutchison is by far the most wishy-washy “nice lady” Repug in the state and not a tough opponent. We need a sure-fire winner here. Who was the last Dem to win a Senate seat in TX? Lloyd Bentsen. We need Ken Bentsen as our man!

Jeffords, James (I-VT)
EASY Democrat pick up in solidly Democrat Vermont, except we have too many DUers who can’t seem to pry their lips off Senator Jefford’s bottom because he “quit” the Repug party and happened to vote the “right way” on Iraq. In the meantime, we have a “Free agent” in the Senate with ZERO senority who voted again Head Start, repeated expressed support for Ashcroft and Lott AFTER he “left” the repugs, and was AWOL on several Democrat proposals. Which would we rather have, a guy who votes with us 60% of the time because he “has to”, or a lifelong, unapologetic DEMOCRAT who votes our way 95% of the time? I’ll take the latter. Senator Howard Dean would be ideal, but any statewide official in VT will do.

Lieberman, Joseph (R-CT)
Worthless Repug apologistic. LIEberman is sooo bad that the Repug he replaced was MORE progressive than him (don’t take my word for it, check their voting records). I will never vote for LIEberman again, I want him OUT in the primary. Rosa Delario should be the Dem nominee.

Lugar, Richard (R-IN)
We can take this seat IF Lugar retires, as we already have one Senate seat in Indiana and held the governorship for like 20 years. Julia Carson represents the heart of Hoosierland, Indianapolis. She’d make an outstanding Senator.

Nelson, Ben (R-NE)
Another worthless fetus-luvin’ DINO who needs to GO! Bring back Bob Kerrey! – Kerrey! Kerrey! Kerrey!

Lott, Trent (R-MS)
For such a neo-confederate Dixie state, MS has a surprising number of Dem officials. Until recently, they even had a Dem governor. We can take an open senate seat in MS with the right kind of Dem. Mike Espy is about the most popular Dem in MS right now and is beloved by black and white Mississippi Dems alike. He’s our man!

[adamrsilva]

53. I agree - the best way to beat moderates like Chaffee and Snowe

is to not have to face them in the first place. We should fund primary challengers in those states. I mean, Chafee, I think, is especially vulnerable. We aren't just talking pro-choice Republican here, he voted against the Iraq war. I think any regular Republican must want this guy out.

[OhioBlue]

33. regarding Ohio - you are right

Voinovich won without any real opposition. Fingerhut ran but had very little money to back him. If a popular dem were to run (with John Glenn's support) and start early enough, it is possible to beat DeWine. He isn't in the headlines - i would be most people that don't follow politics don't know who the "other"senator is. Also, in '06 being a Repug will be a lot more baggage in Ohio - the jobs situation is getting worse.

[njdemocrat106]

35. Great post!

If Corzine runs for governor and wins, doesn't that mean he picks his successor in the Senate? If true, look for either Bob Menendez or Frank Pallone to take over his seat (two Dem congressmen who have expressed interest in running for Senate.) As for Pennsylvania, are there any Democrats with name recognition that could seriously challenge Santorum? Specter pretty much won in a landslide this year, so I think the Dems in PA should get really serious as soon as possible if they want to win in '06.

[Hippo_Tron]

43. Hoeffel ran against Specter probably to set up a run against Santorum

He now has statewide name recognition which is crucial in a big state like Pennsylvania especially if you've never held statewide office before. Of course, the other possible challenger would be Chris Heinz. We have a good shot but we can't underestimate Santorum. His arrogance will be a serious advantage to us, let's use it to crush him. Bottom line, we don't want him anywhere near the white house.

[JI7]

41. plan is that Corzine will appoint Bob Menendez to finish out his term

in the senate. and menendez will run for another term himself.

[Hippo_Tron]

44. But Menendez will have only 1 year in the senate before re-election time

Granted he will have the perks that come with having a senate office and probably no primary challenge. The GOP will have an uphill battle on this one, but I don't think that Menendez will be safe by any means.

[RFKHumphreyObama]

42. My concern about New Jersey

Is that the GOP will run Christine Todd Whitman. I think she is definitely eying the position and that is one of the reasons for the recent criticism of the Bush Administration. She's been beaten before by Bill Bradley but she's a very formidable opponent and this concerns me

[ZombieNixon]

31. Chaffee in RI may be all right.

Look at it this way. Chafee has said that he might switch parties if the Dems win majority control, so we paint him as RW for caucus support and run a strong candidate against him (maybe Patrick Kennedy?) We win? All good. On the other hand, if we lose that race but defend Nelson, Nelson and Dayton and pick up (I think) five seats, we get a majority and let Harry Reid work on getting Chafee to cross over.

Considering the Nelsons and Dayton are vulnerable, we should have at least eight Rs we can target. I can only think of Santorum, tho' if Frist and Lott retire, we may have shot at those seats.

[DemocratSinceBirth]

39. I Don't Think Patrick Kennedy Can Beat Linc Chaffe

and he's already announced he isn't running....

[hellhathnofury]

46. Is Feinstein running again?

She's getting old. If not, our only saving grace would be that the CA GOP primary always picks the worst candidate. Arnie could put that in play.

[Yupster]

51. Looking at that list of names

it just doesn't look like much turnover either way.

Retirements may mix things up a bit though.