Free Republic

The decision by Sen. John Walsh (D-Mont.) not to seek election in November in the wake of a plagiarism scandal is the latest piece of good news for Republicans as they strive to take control of the Senate in less than three months.

The facts 1. There are 21 US Senate seats held by Democrats in the 2014 election. 2. There are nine US Senate seats held by Democrats in the 2016 election. This is likely to be 10 due to a special election in HI in 2014. 3. Republicans need to pick up six senate seats to have a majority. The Analysis The failures of ObamaCare and broken promises by Democrat senators create a target rich environment in 2014. This is a year Republicans have to do well. Winning a majority in the senate by only one seat or maintaining the status...

In order to flip the six seats they need to win back control, Republicans now believe they have widened the map to nearly a dozen competitive contests — a marked jump from earlier this year. But while Republicans are feeling increasingly optimistic, they are stopping short of bold public predictions, remembering the dashed expectations of recent election cycles in which Tea Party candidates torpedoed their chances. ...McConnell faces a challenger backed by the Senate Conservatives Fund and the Madison Project.

Democrats have lost their advantange and Republicans now have a slight edge in the battle for control of Congress, according to a new national poll. A CNN/ORC International survey released Thursday also indicates that President Barack Obama may be dragging down Democratic congressional candidates, and that the 2014 midterm elections are shaping up to be a low-turnout event, with only three in 10 registered voters extremely or very enthusiastic about voting next year. Two months ago, Democrats held a 50%-42% advantage among registered voters in a generic ballot, which asked respondents to choose between a Democrat or Republican in their...

At the moment, the political environment appears to have come back down to earth. And, with the 2014 election back to looking more like a referendum on President Obama than House Republicans, we have updated our outlook to a GOP gain of zero to ten House seats.

To f*** up, if we learned anything from 2012. With Schweitzer out, Montana Democrats are scrambling to find a means of holding a seat they have held since 1913. That's right: the Class 2 Senate seat being vacated by Max Baucus has been held by Democrats for a hundred years. With other salivating pick-up opportunities in South Dakota and West Virginia, along with vulnerable Democrat incumbents in Alaska, Arkansas, and North Carolina, Republicans have their third chance in three straight elections to win back control of the Senate. So that means only one thing: I have 100% confidence in this...

After the recent death of Senator Frank Lautenberg and Chris Christie’s following announcement of a special election later this year, it reminds us that there are some critical senate seats up for grabs that could be potential winners for the GOP. Depending on recruiting capabilities and ease of fundraising, we could see Republican senators in some surprising places. 1) New Hampshire Now this won’t be an automatic win by any means, but it is an interesting race to watch because of the potential candidates in the race. It has been mentioned that Scott Brown, the former senator from Massachusetts, could...

Republicans are in position to extend their recent gains among governors as they compete for seats they haven't won in a quarter-century. Of the 11 states with gubernatorial elections in November, eight are now led by Democrats, and each of the most competitive races is a GOP pickup opportunity. The numbers suggests that Republicans soon will claim 30 to 33 governorships after holding just 22 a few years ago - an advantage not reflected in the divided Congress or competitive presidential race. 'It says that when people are choosing the government closest to the people, they're choosing Republicans,' Virginia Gov....

They are also calling WI a safe pickup for Wisconsin. There hasn't been a serious outside poll from the usual suspects (RAS, PPP, WSJ, Gallup, etc.) in quite some time. That's a big red flag as they don't think it's a contested race....why waste the time/money? Big money is slowly filtering out. Another red flag. No new "manufactured dirt", just the same old memes from the Kerrey camp....and it's not sticking. Kerrey is settling into a "bunker" mentality. No real buzz or energy. His heart just isn't into it. GOP base is far more jazzed up, organized and hitting the...

Voters in three North Carolina Congressional districts head to the polls today to decide the GOP nominees in runoff elections. The Tar Heel State represents House Republicans’ most fertile territory this cycle, with the party expected to net a gain of at least two seats and as many as four. 8th district The most competitive race tonight is taking place in the 8th district, pitting former Hill aide Richard Hudson, backed by the establishment, against dentist Scott Keadle, a former Iredell County commissioner who is backed by the anti-tax Club for Growth. “We’re finishing strong,” Hudson told Roll Call on...

Democrats still held out hope that Sen. R. Edward Houck (D-Spotsylvania) could win his race against Republican Bryce Reeves, as local elections officials met Wednesday to count provisional ballots and review calculations and tapes from voting machines and other records for errors. But after such an initial canvas, Reeves’s lead actually grew — from an 86-vote margin to 224 votes. “The race for this seat remains too close to call,” said Craig Bieber, Houck’s campaign manager. “There were several significant discrepancies during Tuesday night’s tabulation that deserve further attention during the canvassing and certification process.” At one point, the state...

Republican Renee Ellmers has unseated veteran Congressman Bob Etheridge, according to unofficial results of a recount in the tight race. Etheridge, a seven-term Democrat, picked up six votes on Ellmers after voting results from 10 counties were tabulated a second time, but it was nowhere near enough to overcome her 1,489-vote lead following the Nov. 2 election.

Raleigh, N.C. — Republican Renee Ellmers has unseated veteran Congressman Bob Etheridge, according to unofficial results of a recount in the tight race. Etheridge, a seven-term Democrat, picked up six votes on Ellmers after voting results from 10 counties were tabulated a second time, but it was nowhere near enough to overcome her 1,489-vote lead following the Nov. 2 election. The State Board of Elections still must audit the results and will meet next Tuesday to certify the results of all elections statewide. 2010 North Carolina General Election Results Etheridge requested a recount after Ellmers led him by less than...

Democratic Rep. Bobby Etheridge has conceded to Republican Renee Ellmers, handing the GOP a victory in a race few thought the party would win. When local election officials completed their recount of votes cast in North Carolina’s 2nd District race on Friday, Ellmers led Etheridge by 1,489 votes. “Now, the election recount has concluded, and the numbers confirm that despite the incredible support we had - and neither candidate getting to 50 percent - in the end we came up just a little too short,” Etheridge told supporters at a news conference. With the victory, House Republicans have now picked...

WASHINGTON -- After a weeklong recount, Friday's vote tally showed that Republican Renee Ellmers did, indeed, win election to the 2nd Congressional District seat that had been held for 14 years by Democrat Bob Etheridge. Etheridge acknowledged Friday afternoon what the numbers had said since Nov. 2, that he was ousted by Ellmers, a tea party darling and political newcomer. Despite the ongoing recount, Ellmers has been acting the role of congresswoman-elect. She was on Capitol Hill all week with other House freshmen, attending orientations, hiring staff and searching for a place to bunk in Washington.

RALEIGH, N.C. — Republican Renee Ellmers has unseated veteran Congressman Bob Etheridge, according to unofficial results of a recount in the tight Second District race. "What's done is done," Etheridge said Friday afternoon in conceding defeat. The seven-term Democrat picked up six votes on Ellmers after voting results were tabulated a second time, but it was nowhere near enough to overcome her 1,489-vote lead following the Nov. 2 election. The State Board of Elections still must audit the results and will meet next Tuesday to certify the results of all elections statewide. Etheridge touted his accomplishments during a brief news...

While the Republican gains in the House and Senate are grabbing the most headlines, the most significant results on Tuesday came in state legislatures where Republicans wiped the floor with Democrats. Republicans picked up 680 seats in state legislatures, according to the National Conference of State Legislatures -- the most in the modern era. To put that number in perspective: In the 1994 GOP wave, Republicans picked up 472 seats. The previous record was in the post-Watergate election of 1974, when Democrats picked up 628 seats. The GOP gained majorities in at least 14 state house chambers. They now have...

GOP's Kirk wins Obama's old seatFrom the NBC News political team Republican Mark Kirk is NBC's projected winner of the Illinois Senate race, snatching the seat that former Sen. Barack Obama held in Illinois. Kirk defeated Obama ally Alexi Giannoulias. Giannoulias struggled to overcome reports that his family's failed bank made loans to known criminals. The president and the first lady both made stops in the state to try to boost the Democrat. **SNIP** The victory for Kirk gives Republicans a net gain of five Senate seats so far tonight.

Never did a vanity before. Sorry. But I do have a question.

Woohoo!