Democrats Could Gain Southern Senators in 2010

Southern Political Report ^ | November 17, 2008 | Hastings Wyman

[Clintonfatigued]

Democrats gained two US Senate seats in the South this year, three if Jim Martin (D) defeats US Sen. Saxby Chambliss (R-GA) in the December 2 runoff. In two years, however, the GOP will have little opportunity to reverse the Democratic trend in Dixie’s senate delegation. Of the nine Southern members of the US Senate up for re-election in 2010, eight are Republicans, only one, Arkansas’s Blanche Lincoln, is a Democrat. So numbers alone indicate that the Democrats have a major advantage going into the next election two years from now.

The political battlefield may have a set of issues heavily favoring one party or the other in 2010. Much will depend on the record of incoming President Barack Obama, particularly the state of the economy in 2010 and how he will have handled any national security problems that may arise before then. Nevertheless, some factors on the political landscape already give early indications of what might happen in two years.

Here is a thumbnail rundown of the prospects for the US Senate races in 2010.

[Clintonfatigued]

Here’s the 2010 outlook in the South.

Yes, I know it’s early.

[WayneS]

Oh NO... TOO LATE!

Can you say: Senator-elect Mark Warner (D) of VIRGINIA?

And Chambliss's "runoff" in Georgia isn't exactly shaping up to be a cake-walk, either.

[Greek]

Here are all of them up in 2010, we have a number of targets too:

Blanche Lincoln (Arkansas)
Barbara Boxer (California)
Ken Salazar (Colorado)
Daniel Inouye (Hawaii)
Barrack Obama’s replacement chosen by the Governor of Illinois after his resignation from the Senate in January to become President (Illinois)
Evan Bayh (Indiana)
Barbara Mikulski (Maryland)
Harry Reid (Nevada)
Chuck Schumer (New York)
Byron Dorgan (North Dakota)
Ron Wyden (Oregon)
Patrick Leahy (Vermont)
Russ Feingold (Wisconsin)
Richard Shelby (Alabama)
Lisa Murkowski (Alaska)
John McCain (Arizona)
Mel Martinez (Florida)
Johnny Isakson (Georgia)
Mike Crapo (Idaho)
Chuck Grassley (Iowa)
Jim Bunning (Kentucky)
David Vitter (Louisiana)
Kit Bond (Missouri)
Judd Gregg (New Hampshire)
Richard Burr (North Carolina)
George Voinovich (Ohio)
Tom Coburn (Oklahoma)
Arlen Specter (Pennsylvania)
Jim DeMint (South Carolina)
John Thune (South Dakota)
Bob Bennet (Utah)
Kansas run, now filled by Sam Brownback, but incumbent won’t seek re-election
Christopher Dodd (Connecticut)

[Cicero]

The self-destruction of the Republican party continues.

One fact that’s bound to kick in is that if the Democrats have a clear majority in congress, the South isn’t going to want to get left out of all the pork distribution.

They aren’t going to want to be known as a minority Republican region. Tht will open the gates for more supposedly “blue dog” Democrats, who will, however, mostly vote with the Democrat leadership on important issues.

[darkangel82]

I don’t think Shelby, Coburn or DeMint will lse to Democrats. But no seat is 100% safe.

[FlipWilson]

After 2 years of Obama policies you think the country is still going to blame Republicans for everything? I bet you that in one year the voters will realize what they have done and, suddenly, the democrats will find themselves on the run.

[JimSEA]

All of the MSM, CNN, CBS, MSNBC, etc. is happily preparing for one party government. It will happen if their efforts are the decider.

[JSDude1]

Not gonna happen in “the solid south” dems. Republicans had a bad year, you’re not going to gain anymore in the south; and may loose in the west.

[Ingtar]

I don’t know. 30 million more Dim voters, ie naturalized Mexicans, and all bets are off.

[LeavingNewYork]

"After 2 years of Obama policies you think the country is still going to blame Republicans for everything? I bet you that in one year the voters will realize what they have done and, suddenly, the democrats will find themselves on the run." Flip, did the devil make you write what you did? I think you're wrong. I think one year is not enough for the sheeple. I would take that bet but it's a bet that I hope I would lose.

[sarasota]

I hope your assessment is correct, but I don’t believe it. Everyone will want to get on the bandwagon so they’re not left out of the pork parade.

[AppyPappy]

I’m guessing we can only go up. The Democrats will squabble amongst themselves and do nothing except piss off the voters with a tax increase.

[Theodore R.]

You are so right, alas. Pork is more popular in the South than anywhere else for that matter. Southern voters are dying to return to their historic Democrat moorings. Republicans cannot even figure out how to nominate candidates, much less elect them.

[Verginius Rufus]

Obama has already resigned from the Senate...presumably the governor will name his replacement before January so that the new senator will have more seniority than colleagues who have to wait until the first day of the new Congress.

[Norman Bates]

Pendulum. It’s swinging back. They won’t pick up any seats in the South.

[Cacique]

bump for later

[Fishrrman]

“But no seat is 100% safe”

Ted Kennedy?
Hillary Clinton? (I realize she may vacate it for Secretary of State)...

- John

[Impy]

? This topic is about 2010 races.

[Impy]

I don’t think voters anywhere buy into that super ignornant “vote for them cause their in the majority and we want a seat at the table mentality” and thank goodness for that.

And you ridiculously wrong if you think minority members don’t get oodles of pork.