Will Talent face re-election in 2006? Senate Class I or reassigned to Class II?

[RFP]

Senators are assigned to a "Class", either I, II, III, which determines their dates of term of service (and hence their re-election schedule). Mel Carnahan was in Class I - terms of service expire in 2001, 2007, etc. Upon his death, his office was inherited by his wife which triggered the special election this year. Did Jean Carnahan also inherit/maintain this senate class for this Missouri senate seat?

All other senators elected this year are in Class II - terms of service expire in 2003, 2009, etc.

[RFP]

QUESTION: Does Jim Talent's senate class change or become updated to class II, or is this Missouri slot still a class I. I don't see anything in Article 1, Section 3 of the Constitution to cover this. Thus, it looks to me like Jim Talent will only have a four year term and be facing re-election in 2006. Is this correct?

[Koblenz]

Talent will face an election again in 2006, not 2008. He was elected to fill the remainder of the term.

[Jim Noble]

This election was a "special election" to fill the illegal, so-called "vacancy" created by the Governor of Missouri with the connivance of Ashcroft after the 2000 election. The term of office being filled ends January 3, 2007-so, yes, Senator Talent will need to run again in four years.

[lawgirl]

YEP! And I probably won't here to give him my vote again. But boy was it fun to vote for him when it really counted!

[Enterprise]

In terms of seniority I would believe though, that if he wins in 2006, he would have Senate seniority over any newly elected Senator of the class of 2006 regardless of assigned "class." Just an opinion though.

[PAR35]

He will also have seniority over other senators elected in 2002. He will be sworn in in December, 2002 (as soon as the results are certified) while they won't be sworn in until January, 2003.

[Bogey78O]

By USCCR rules he'd go to 2008. Under the law he'd go to 2006 though.

[Enterprise]

That sounds logical. Thank you.

[deport]

By USCCR rules he'd go to 2008.

LOL ... Reckon we could get Ms. Berry to go to bat for that?

[RFP]

"In terms of seniority "

Here's why I really ask the question: What if a senator dies in office, say sometime in 2003, in a state where their OTHER senator is up for re-election in 2004. The governor appoints a replacement for the deceased senator which triggers the need for a special election at the next opportunity. Would this special election be held at the same time as their other senator runs for re-election? In other words, could it ever happen that there would be TWO senate races in the same state at the same time, say, in 2004? If so, then the seniority question could become dicey.

[Enterprise]

"What if a senator dies in office, say sometime in 2003, in a state where their OTHER senator is up for re-election in 2004."

I still would think that any serving Senator would still have seniority as long as he served prior to the special election, regardless of when that election was held.

"In other words, could it ever happen that there would be TWO senate races in the same state at the same time, say, in 2004?"

I suppose it could happen, but one of the terms would be for a shorter term; that being the unexpired term of the decedant Senator. And the Senator who won the shorter term would still have seniority over newly elected Senators of the next election.

[Koblenz]

It's actually happened where both Senate seats have been up in a state in a given year. Happened not too long ago: I remember it happening, but cannot remember where.

[Moosehead]

I believe it happened in Kansas during the 1996 elections when Dole resigned his seat. Brownbeck won that in a special election, and Pat Roberts won the regular Senatorial election.

[Cicero]

There's every reason to hope that he will do well in the next election. He's a class act, and he will be seen to have experience. Carnahan is presumably out, since her only accomplishment was to serve out a two-year term as consolation for the death of her husband.

[o_zarkman44]

Gosh, the ink on the ballots has barely dried and everyone is already talking re-election. Lets see if anything gets done first. This is the largest problem with politicians is the quest for re-election comes first and foremost before the people they are supposed to represent. Re-election has to be earned although I am confident Talent will prove his worthiness. But prove it he must.