Race Rating Change: North Dakota Moves in Dems’ Direction (U.S. Senate update)

Roll Call ^ | August 22, 2012 | Shira Toeplitz

[Clintonfatigued]

This week proves what a difference a strong candidate can make, even in partisan states.

In the wake of the implosion of Rep. Todd Akin (Mo.), Republicans quietly bemoaned their policy of remaining neutral in Senate primaries. But in North Dakota, where Republicans had an uncompetitive primary, it’s become clear that the GOP nominee is not as strong a recruit as he initially appeared to be.

[Clintonfatigued]

Rick Berg has turned out to be a dud of a candidate, even though I predict he’ll manage a narrow victory. The best one can say for him is that he isn’t Todd Akin.

[reasonisfaith]

Are senate races really influenced by the status of campaigns in other states?

[Kazan]

So, it is Akin’s fault? Does he get the credit for Linda McMahon moving ahead of her opponent in Connecticut and Josh Mandell pulling even in Ohio?

[ncalburt]

Do you a single word from ROLLCALL ?
Its a lefty rag peddled by Mort?

[Postman]

Finally! A voice of factual reason. All you needed was “believe” between the “you” and the “a” to make it perfect.

[Clintonfatigued]

There is more straight-ticket voting than there used to be.

[doug from upland]

Before making your comment, did you actually read the article? Sometimes I find that helpful.

It did not blame Akin. “...it’s become clear that the GOP nominee is not as strong a recruit as he initially appeared to be.” He has run a campaign without a strong consistent message. Hopefully, his campaign staff can help him do better.

[reasonisfaith]

I think it’s a huge stretch to claim the senate race in one state will affect another.

[Clintonfatigued]

Oh, I should have read your posting more closely. The Presidential election will affect the Senate races, but you’re correct, one U.S. Senate race is unlikely to affect another one.

[FlingWingFlyer]

I hope the morons elect the ‘RAT. He’ll help Barry shut down all the jobs and prosperity they’ve been enjoying lately. People living in this country these days (not Americans) are total morons. Blithering idiots.

[EDINVA]

Yes, and it affects the entire ticket. The whole GOP ticket in MO can be tarred by the Akin mess, and it spreads to other states. None of this is good at all. The only potentially good thing is that it happened relatively early compared to the elections, and there may be time to recover.

Think back to 2006 and Tom Foley. That, at least, wasn’t a presidential election year, but it caused the GOP to lose its majority in the House.

[CharlesWayneCT]

I think a lot of our senate candidates are being hurt in polls this week because of Akin. Of course, he’ll use these polls to claim that his drop is just “part of the general trend”. His son will claim that it proves he should stay in the race.

[SunkenCiv]

Thanks Clintonfatigued.

[WOSG]

“Yes, and it affects the entire ticket. The whole GOP ticket in MO can be tarred by the Akin mess, and it spreads to other states. “

Dems in several states are running ads with Akin’s comments in them. Doesnt matter if Akin apologized, they will run this thing as far as it will take them.

Yes, this is the Foley of the season.

Akin is single-handedly giving the Democrats grenades to lob at every senate race.

[beenaround]

This is a rehash of a story written about 5-6 days ago. It was rewritten to include Akins stumble as the reason the polls are tightening (if they actually are).

[chimera]

They can be, even if it is only to provide another distraction and take you off your message and put you on the defensive. That is a major strategery in politics, keep your opposition off-balance and on the defensive. We're going to have a tough enough time this year beating Obama and the ‘Rats and their media accomplices without any of our candidates putting swords in the hands of our opposition.

[lentulusgracchus]

Think back to 2006 and Tom Foley. That, at least, wasn’t a presidential election year, but it caused the GOP to lose its majority in the House.

Even with the vivid example before the voters of what Democratic "minority-majority" politics looks like, in the high-profile (even with the MSM trying to ignore it) of "Cold Cash" Jefferson down in Louisiana .

Jefferson and his incredibly, ineptly corrupt family (something like half of them wound up in prison) seriously interfered with the message Rahm Emanuel and Red Nancy Pelosi wanted to put out that year, of Republican corruption and budgetary fecklessness.

[Theodore R.]

Running freshman U.S. reps. for the Senate or governor often fails. ND people will be hard to convince, as they have a history of Democrat senators in the past half century.

[Theodore R.]

I hope the morons elect the ‘RAT. He’ll help Barry shut down all the jobs and prosperity they’ve been enjoying lately. People living in this country these days (not Americans) are total morons. Blithering idiots.i> History shows that ND likes Democrat senators for some reason. They haven't had a long-term Republican senator since the late Milton Young. Maybe it's the farmers getting all that federal largesse for withholding production.