Democrats dream big in South, West

Washington Times ^ | Wednesday, July 7, 2004 | By Donald Lambro

[JohnHuang2]

The Washington Times
www.washingtontimes.com

---

Democrats dream big in South, West

By Donald Lambro
THE WASHINGTON TIMES
Published July 7, 2004

---

The battle for control of the Senate has turned fiercely competitive this summer, driven in part by a flurry of articles reporting that the Democrats are poised to recapture the chamber where Republicans have a slim 51-48 majority, with one independent.
    But some Senate campaign analysts say these stories are overplaying the Democrats' chances in strongly Republican states in the South and West, and they predict Republicans will emerge with a net gain of a seat or two after the fall elections.
    The report "Will the Senate Tip?" in this month's issue of the Nation magazine all but forecasts a Democratic takeover. "If the Democrats re-elect their incumbents, hold three of the five [open Democratic] Southern seats and win the four GOP-held seats outside the South, where they are currently running strong, they're at 51."
    In another article, titled "Dreaming About the Senate," Time magazine reported last week that "suddenly the math has changed: Democrats can see their way to a net gain of two seats, which would give them a slim advantage in the Senate."
    That is not how Jennifer Duffy, Senate elections analyst for the Cook Political Report, sees things. Asked whether these reports are exaggerated, she replies, "Absolutely. These Southern Senate races are far from a done deal."
    "There's no question that the Senate is competitive and is in play, and over the past few months Democratic opportunities have gotten better," said Nathan Gonzales, editor of the Rothenberg Political Report, which closely tracks all House and Senate races.
    Both parties agree that 11 Senate races are competitive. Seven of those are held by Democrats.
    Analysts agree that the outcome likely will be decided in the South, where Democrats must defend five open seats in states where Republican strength has been building. Among them:
    •Georgia: The clear front-runner is Rep. Johnny Isakson. He is being challenged in the Republican race by Rep. Mac Collins and Herman Cain, chief executive of Godfather's Pizza.
    Democrats must choose between freshman Rep. Denise L. Majette and businessman Cliff Oxford, who are given little chance of winning the November election.
    •Louisiana: Republican Rep. David Vitter is leading in all the polls and has $3.4 million in cash. Democrats, on the other hand, are embroiled in a party fight among Rep. Chris John, state Treasurer John Kennedy and state Rep. Arthur Morrell.
    •North Carolina: Erskine Bowles, former Clinton White House chief of staff, is making his second run for the Senate after losing to Elizabeth Dole in 2002. This time, he leads in the polls against his Republican opponent, Rep. Richard M. Burr, 47 percent to 39 percent. But Republicans say Mr. Bowles has been spending a bundle of money on TV ads for months, while Mr. Burr has not gone on the air -- holding his campaign funds in reserve.
    •South Carolina: Republican polls show Democrat Inez Tenenbaum, the state superintendent of education, leading Rep. Jim DeMint, a Republican, by 53 percent to 43 percent. In a heavily Republican state, which President Bush carried by 16 points in 2000, she is running as a centrist, supporting the war in Iraq, a constitutional amendment against same-sex "marriage," the death penalty and the USA Patriot Act.
    But she is pro-choice, and her ideological views on other issues are not well-known.
    c Florida: Betty Castor, former state education commissioner, remains the Democratic front-runner for her party's nomination, but that could change. She is being attacked by one of her chief Democratic rivals, Rep. Peter Deutsch, for not firing a suspected terrorist when she was the University of South Florida's president in the 1990s. Deutsch strategists say they intend to pound her with attacks in TV ads in the weeks to come.
    On the Republican side, former Rep. Bill McCollum, who lost a 2002 Senate bid, is leading a large Republican field of contenders, including former Housing and Urban Development Secretary Mel Martinez. But Mr. McCollum's poll numbers have not budged in months while Mr. Martinez, who has the backing of the White House and has raised $1.75 million in the past quarter, has seen his poll numbers rise in recent weeks, fueled in part by his appeal in the Hispanic community.
    

[VOA]

Democrat Inez Tenenbaum...snip... is running as a centrist, supporting the war in Iraq,
a constitutional amendment against same-sex "marriage," the death penalty and the
USA Patriot Act.

A Democrat that only tells three lies at a time.
No wonder she's been able to get traction.
(end sarcasm)

[weepnomore]

It's hard to imagine that McCollum would have the audacity to run again! He alone was the reason we lost a Republican Senate seat in Florida. It would be hard for the Democrats to find a weaker candidate than Nelson this time around.

[SC Swamp Fox]

Inez Tenenbaum leading Rep. Jim DeMint, 53 percent to 43 percent.

Did I miss something? The only poll I have seen has DeMint up 50 to 43 percent.

SC Ping

Click Here if you want to be added to or removed from this list.

[sinkspur]

It would be hard for the Democrats to find a weaker candidate than Nelson this time around.

Graham's retiring.

[onyx]

Is your governor a democrat?
If so, watch for Edwards to
resign his senate seat so Erskin
Bowles can run as the "incumbent."

[JRPerry]

Inez Tenenbaum leading Rep. Jim DeMint, 53 percent to 43 percent.

They have lost their flippin' minds. What other blantant public lies will be told between now and November? When it comes to the dims and the liberal press ... the sky is the limit.

[Peach]

That was the last poll I saw too - with DeMint up. Hmmm.

[SC Swamp Fox]

I did a Google search and couldn't turn up any polls other then the one last week that should DeMint leading by 7%.

[RipSawyer]

One can find someone willing to tell almost any lie imaginable, I wish I had saved a newspaper column I saw some years ago which purported to tell the story of the mass defections from the Republican party to the Democrat party. I had to read it twice to believe someone actually printed it, the real story of course is that for many years politicians elected as Democrats have turned Republican in far more cases than the opposite.

[SC Swamp Fox]

should = showed

Proudly posting without proof-reading or reading the full article since 1999.

[Peach]

This is probably press fantasy and they don't understand we can look stuff like this up on the 'net.

[Helms]

Mike Easly is governor and a Democrat.

[onyx]

Well there you go.
Watch Erskin Bowles be appointed.

[Salo]

They must have transposed the poll numbers. IT doesn't have a prayer.

[Palmetto]

Inez Tenenbaum leading Rep. Jim DeMint, 53 percent to 43 percent.

No way.

DeMint has a sizable lead now which will only widen between now and November. I do hope the Dems spend a lot of money here on a loser, though.

[IamConservative]

With the use of the filibuster to stop an overall agenda, until one party gets to 60, or has enough crossovers for a super majority, all you get is the committee chairs and the agenda. Doesn't mean any of it will ever get voted on.

[stand watie]

greetings, fox!

it's called WISHFUL THINKING on the part of the "SOCIALIST State" & the newsLESS courier".

free dixie,sw