Election 2008: The Senate: More Open Seats Hurt GOP Chances

[babylonsister]

Election 2008: The Senate: More Open Seats Hurt GOP Chances
By CQ Staff

Even with their six-seat gain, the Democrats won only a razor-thin Senate majority in 2006 that left open the door for a possible GOP comeback in 2008.

That door is now firmly closed, and the Democrats are well-positioned to expand their majority by picking up at least two and perhaps as many as eight seats. Public opinion on the issues — opposition to the Iraq War, annoyance at President Bush and anxiety about the economy — is as bad or worse for the GOP as it was two years ago. But the Republicans face an even bigger obstacle in the political geography: They are defending 23 seats, five of them opened by retirements; the Democrats are defending only 12, and incumbents are running again for all of them.

NO CLEAR FAVORITE

COLORADO — Open ( Wayne Allard , R, retiring)

Vote for winner in 2002: 51 percent

The presumed November matchup has been known for some time: Democratic Rep. Mark Udall , who has represented left-leaning Boulder for a decade, and Republican Bob Schaffer, a state board of education member who represented the eastern plains in the House from 1997 through 2002 and lost a primary for the state’s other Senate seat in 2004. Udall’s record is mostly liberal and Schaffer’s is mostly conservative, though both have shown some political independence. Udall has the edge in fundraising and name recognition. And the Denver Post recently reported that Schaffer took a trip arranged in part by the firm then employing Jack Abramoff, the lobbyist later convicted of corruption charges. The Republican campaign says the two have never met.

MINNESOTA — Norm Coleman , R

Vote for winner in 2002: 50 percent

The Democratic candidacy of comedian Al Franken guarantees attention, but the race’s decisive factor may be voters’ views of Coleman’s positions on President Bush and the Iraq War, both highly unpopular in the state. Coleman has worked to distance himself from Bush after gaining a reputation early in his term as an advocate for his agenda. He now criticizes Bush’s handling of the war but won’t endorse troop withdrawal timelines. Now that self-financing attorney Michael Ciresi has dropped out, Franken has his nomination sewn up, and his fundraising ($3.5 million in the bank as the month began) and grass-roots campaigning make him formidable. Coleman, though, will try to paint his opponent as an outside-the-mainstream liberal.

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http://www.cqpolitics.com/wmspage.cfm?docid=weeklyreport-000002712175

[tanyev]

1. "annoyance at President Bush"?

That's putting it mildly.