…and this is the RCP Senate (No Tossups) map:
Can and will change, of course – and we’re going to need to get more seats (fortunately, this map doesn’t currently include Colorado and North Carolina, or Michigan and New Hampshire, so there’s still room to grow). But 52 has its own charms. For example, think of all the Democratic Senate staffers that will have to get fired because they’re suddenly surplus to requirements – and not just the staffers who work for Democrats who are about to lose; Senators in the minority need less staffers than one in the majority, and they’re not shy about firing people who they don’t need.
Hey, as the man said: if you want a friend in This Town, buy a dog. Anyway, there are hidden structural advantages to having a majority. Believe it, or not.
*cough Oregon cough*
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Yeah, it’s gonna be a rough one. I will admit I’m paying more attention to statehouses and Governors’ mansions these days…
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Mew
Intelligent, competent Monica Wehby would be so much better than dull apparatchik Jeff Merkley that the election ought to be a shoo-in for her. Alas, there are far too many idiots in Portlandia and the People’s Republic of Eugene who vote the straight Party Line. *fingers crossed*
Don’t write off Virginia or Minnesota, either. A massive wave election might sweep them our direction.
If – and I do not expect it to happen, but it’d be niiice if it did – we get a wave that big, 2016 starts to look better too.
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Mew
Al Franken won Minnesota in 2008 only because third-party candidate Dean Barkley siphoned off 15 percent of the votes, nearly all of them from conservatives. If there isn’t a third-party candidate this time around, Franken may be in trouble. He hasn’t distinguished himself as a shining star in the Senate, and although he’s glib he doesn’t seem to be a very nice person — certainly not “Minnesota nice.”
I hope NC turns. It has a history of one term senators. Hagen is the incumbent and is in the lead but only polling in the low 40s despite a high name recognition.
Hagan’s had high unfavorables pretty much since she was elected. I’d be sorely disappointed if it doesn’t flip. I really want Minnesota back too, since that little troll Franken only won because of obvious vote fraud. But I’m prepared to be disappointed again, there.
It’s depressing watching the polls in NC. I cannot BELIEVE that Hagan is even in the running. She’s been a Reid lapdog since she first walked into the Senate. The problem is, we put too many TP candidates up against Tillis, split the vote and Tillis ran away with the primary. Now he’s being blamed for any negative coming out of the NC Congress while Hagan is drowning us in a story of ONE bill that she sponsored.
I am not a Republican but tend to vote for the winner of the Republican primary. Anyone who will not vote for harry Reid is good enough for me.
Would’ve been nice if the GOP had recruited someone like Jim Cain ( former ambassador to Denmark)
Fewer Democrat staffers, Moe. Unless they truly are innumerable, in which case, well…
My #Election2014 Senate Map.
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I know 57 might seem optimistic, but this is my gut feeling map. It is not support whatsoever in reality. I might be willing to flip Oregon in the near future (see: month), but I am currently happy with my map.
I would be interested in seeing your 2016 map, Gator.
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Also, I would be interested in just what’s in your coffee today. Not criticizing, just curious. Cat, y’know.. Goes with the fur coat.
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Mew
NH and IL are deep blue. IL because they decided Oberweis’ bucket list was more important then winning( Not that we stood much of a chance in the first place but atleast Truax was a serious candidate)
NH is gone because Scott Brown in our guy, pro-gun people will not support him ( and they might decide to outright support the Democrat instead)
Pro-lifers won’t support him ( but atleast they won’t support the D either)
Both groups supported Brown in MA and would support him again if he were running against Markey ( and polls suggest that such a race would be competitive for us) oh well.
MN and OR might be promising and have solid candidates.
Land should be able to pull off a win in MI ( last time similar circumstances were in play was 94 and we won that race)
We’ve lucked out with how terrible Braley is in Iowa.
NC I’d feel more comfortable if we had a better candidate.
Warner is looking unexpectedly vulnerable in VA. And Gillespie has done a good job building a Tea Party-Establishment coalition ( only Ernst, Cotton, and Land have managed to do the same)