Sid
10-20-2006, 10:37 AM
Given the Senate's traditional six-year cycle, the seats in Congress's upper chamber being contested in 2006 are essentially the same seats that were up for grabs 12 years ago in 1994. When Republicans achieved their historic 1994 victory by regaining a majority in the U.S. Senate, they took the relatively easy route, capturing all six open seats vacated by retiring Democrats and knocking off two incumbents.
If Democrats are to regain majority status in the Senate this year, they will have to do it the hard way -- by knocking off at least five Republican incumbents. Altogether, Democrats must achieve a net gain of six seats.
The most endangered Republican senators this year are:
(1) Mr. Santorum (http://santorum.senate.gov/public/), who is facing the son of Robert P. Casey Sr., the late, popular Pennsylvania governor;
(2) Lincoln Chafee (http://www.chafeeforsenate.com/) of Rhode Island, who is defending his seat against a popular Democrat in a state that gave John Kerry 61 percent of its presidential vote in 2004 and where Democrats control more than 80 percent of the seats in the state legislature;
(3) Conrad Burns (http://burns.senate.gov/public/) of Montana, who, according to a recent compilation of polls by the authoritative RealClearPolitics Web site, is trailing his Democratic opponent by an average of nearly 6 percentage points; and
(4) Mike DeWine (http://dewine.senate.gov/) of Ohio (also from the class of 1994), whose uphill climb amid the scandalous Ohio Republican muck (which doesn't even involve him) is becoming steeper by the week.
If Democrats defeat those four GOP incumbents, then they would still have to capture three of the remaining four top battleground states:
Missouri, where incumbent Jim Talent (http://talent.senate.gov/default.cfm?CFID=3843876&CFTOKEN=62854787) is facing a strong challenge from State Auditor Claire McCaskill;
Virginia, where George Allen (http://allen.senate.gov/public/), the only Republican challenger to defeat a Democratic incumbent (Charles Robb) in 2000, holds a small lead over James Webb;
New Jersey, where Mr. Menendez is being vigorously challenged by Tom Kean Jr. (http://www.tomkean.com/), the son of a popular former governor; and Tennessee: Bob Corker (http://www.bobcorkerforsenate.com/).
Another 1994? (http://www.washtimes.com/op-ed/20061018-094611-8720r.htm)
If Democrats are to regain majority status in the Senate this year, they will have to do it the hard way -- by knocking off at least five Republican incumbents. Altogether, Democrats must achieve a net gain of six seats.
The most endangered Republican senators this year are:
(1) Mr. Santorum (http://santorum.senate.gov/public/), who is facing the son of Robert P. Casey Sr., the late, popular Pennsylvania governor;
(2) Lincoln Chafee (http://www.chafeeforsenate.com/) of Rhode Island, who is defending his seat against a popular Democrat in a state that gave John Kerry 61 percent of its presidential vote in 2004 and where Democrats control more than 80 percent of the seats in the state legislature;
(3) Conrad Burns (http://burns.senate.gov/public/) of Montana, who, according to a recent compilation of polls by the authoritative RealClearPolitics Web site, is trailing his Democratic opponent by an average of nearly 6 percentage points; and
(4) Mike DeWine (http://dewine.senate.gov/) of Ohio (also from the class of 1994), whose uphill climb amid the scandalous Ohio Republican muck (which doesn't even involve him) is becoming steeper by the week.
If Democrats defeat those four GOP incumbents, then they would still have to capture three of the remaining four top battleground states:
Missouri, where incumbent Jim Talent (http://talent.senate.gov/default.cfm?CFID=3843876&CFTOKEN=62854787) is facing a strong challenge from State Auditor Claire McCaskill;
Virginia, where George Allen (http://allen.senate.gov/public/), the only Republican challenger to defeat a Democratic incumbent (Charles Robb) in 2000, holds a small lead over James Webb;
New Jersey, where Mr. Menendez is being vigorously challenged by Tom Kean Jr. (http://www.tomkean.com/), the son of a popular former governor; and Tennessee: Bob Corker (http://www.bobcorkerforsenate.com/).
Another 1994? (http://www.washtimes.com/op-ed/20061018-094611-8720r.htm)