Handful of Races May Tip Control of Congress

[edbermac]

In Pennsylvania, Sen. Rick Santorum (R) has been running behind his challenger for months. In Montana, Sen. Conrad Burns (R), linked to the Jack Abramoff scandal, is on the defensive. In Ohio, Sen. Mike DeWine (R) is struggling to overcome a toxic environment of scandals that have tarnished the state Republican Party.

Not since 1994 has the party in power -- in this case the Republicans -- faced such a discouraging landscape in a midterm election. President Bush is weaker than he was just a year ago, a majority of voters in recent polls have signaled their desire for a change in direction, and Democrats outpoll Republicans on which party voters think is more capable of handling the country's biggest problems.

The result is a midterm already headed toward what appears to be an inevitable conclusion: Democrats are poised to gain seats in the House and in the Senate for the first time since 2000. The difference between modest gains (a few seats in the Senate and fewer than 10 in the House) and significant gains (half a dozen in the Senate and well more than a dozen in the House) is where the battle for control of Congress will be fought.

The contest begins with Republicans holding 231 House seats and Democrats holding 201, with one Democrat-leaning independent and two vacancies, split between the parties. Democrats need to gain 15 seats to dethrone the GOP majority. In the Senate, Republicans hold 55 seats to the Democrats' 44, with one Democrat-leaning independent. Democrats need six more seats to take power.

At this point, the biggest challenge facing the Democrats is the narrow size of the battlefield. To win control of the House or Senate, Democrats must either capture the overwhelming percentage of genuinely competitive contests or find a way to put more races "in play" than is the case now.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/02/05/AR2006020500773_pf.html

[still_one]

1. well, unless the democrats in congress start hitting the issues

stronger I see an uphill fight

What has been done about voting?

[GreenPartyVoter]

3. Not enough has been done about voting. I predict Santorum will

miraculously get re-elected. x(

[still_one]

4. Only if the race tightens

it has been 6 years since the voting irregularities of 2000, and WE WERE PROMISED THAT SOMETHING WOULD BE DONE by our representatives

Remember Kerry assuring us in 2004 that the same thing would NOT happen. Well Senator Kerry how do you explain Ohio and Florida?

[GreenPartyVoter]

5. They can tighten the race at will. That's the trouble with vapor trails

instead of paper trails.

[DemInDistress]

2. I hope and pray there will be an 06' election...

what with the Iranian Oil Bourse opening on march 26 2006 we here in America will see an economical crash that will make the 1929 crash look like a bad weekend..

[RufusEarl]

7. Totally agree

this is one item the MSM never talk about, and it's a larger problem then NSA IMHO, facing this country.

I also believe it's the reason we went into Iraq, Saddam was planning to do the same this as Iran after sanctions were lifted.

[DemInDistress]

8. Saddam had already switched from the Dollar in 2000

Saddam was awash in Euros and more was coming daily. All that UN Food for Oil scandal was with Euros and not the Dollar.. The bush crime family saw the threat of continuing decline in the Dollar so they faked circumstances (WMD's) and attacked Iraq, same shit happening with Iran now. If all goes well and Iran opens up on March 26,2006 all financial hell will break loose here in America and Israel..hmm

[ellenfl]

6. what can we do to encourage the minority vote?

i think a good outcome will be much dependent upon getting out the vote among the minority communities. just my opinion.

ellen fl