2016 Postmortem
Related: About this forumThe 12 races that will decide the Senate majority
The November election is 137 days away. But we now have a very clear idea of what the Senate landscape -- the playing field on which the battle for control will take place -- is going to look like.
Primaries have, largely, sorted themselves out in the most competitive Senate races in the country with Republicans -- so far -- avoiding the perils of 2010 and 2012 in which the party nominated a number of candidates who had major electability problems in the general election. The recently concluded Iowa primary gave Republicans their strongest nominee and the Georgia primary produced two runoff participants without the general election baggage of some of the GOP candidates in the running.
What we are left with is 12 races that can be considered truly competitive -- meaning that either one (or both) of the national parties and/or the various outside groups have or will spend money in them. The races are tipped heavily toward Democratic-held seats; 10 of the 12 contests -- including the six most vulnerable -- are currently in Democratic hands. Of the 12 states, Mitt Romney carried nine of them in 2012 -- with Michigan, Iowa and Colorado the trio that went for President Obama.
Republicans insist the playing field is actually 14 not 12 -- adding Minnesota and Oregon to the list. We remain unconvinced that Republican challengers in either of those Democratic-leaning seats have shown the ability to make the races genuinely competitive just yet. Similarly, Democratic optimism in Mississippi seem overly optimistic to us -- even if state Sen. Chris McDaniel ousts Sen. Thad Cochran in the GOP runoff next Tuesday.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/the-fix/wp/2014/06/20/the-12-races-that-will-decide-the-senate-majority/
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CMON DEMOCRATS, VOTE, VOTE, VOTE
yeoman6987
(14,449 posts)I predict we keep the Senate but lose 2 seats. WV and SD. We could do worse. I imagine McConnell will squeak by. Grimes is getting plenty of exposure. We shall see. We could have had it worse. 2016 we will gain seats!
FBaggins
(26,727 posts)There hasn't been much public polling on the race, but what has come out makes it seem out of reach (absent a serious case of foot-in-mouth by Daines). I haven't seen a single poll where our guy is within 10%... and an incumbent in the mid-30s in a 2-way race is on life support.
davidpdx
(22,000 posts)I think (and have said quite often) that I think we either need to pick up Kentucky or Georgia to ensure we keep control of the Senate. The article posted OP mentioned Oregon as another state that might be close, which I don't think that one will be. It wouldn't surprise me if we hold LA, AK, WV, MI, CO, and NC, then lose MT, IA, and SD, but pick up either Kentucky or Georgia. I forgot one.
Where Pryor is looking better than he did a few months ago.
davidpdx
(22,000 posts)How could I forget him?
DFW
(54,329 posts)Pryor is about the best we could hope for, and his opponent is an abomination.
In retrospect, it's amazing Bill Clinton came out of there. He may not have been a Bernie Sanders, but he's no Max Baucus, either.
ablamj
(333 posts)there's a snowball's chance in hell of Dems winning GA.
pbmus
(12,422 posts)in all elections, local, state, federal ...
ablamj
(333 posts)If they all voted. If they're registered, but don't vote it does no good.
DFW
(54,329 posts)He likes to come off as a "neutral" observer, but his writing always favors the Republicans with an "aw shucks, I just call 'em as I see 'em" disclaimer. I've seen him in TV clips and read his column before. Smug little twit.