Obviously, the new year starts with a bang. The democratic Senators Dorgan and Dodd are going to retire. However, these retirements have different effects. The dust still needs to settle, but it is very likely that their successors will be Richard Blumenthal and John Hoeven - even though it's not a done deal that either of them actually runs. Still, North Dakota will probably get a republican senator soon, and Connecticut will "probably" get a new democratic senator - simply by the virtue of each state's partisan make-up.
Another interesting story is the retirement of Florida GOP-chair Jim Greer. In my opinion, it is obvious now, that Marco Rubio will beat Charlie Crist who just lost the support of the state GOP apparatus. The possibility of another major upheaval is increasing rapidly: either Crist drops out (tries to stay Gov., against Republican Bill McClollum who is a Jeb Bush republican just like Marco Rubio) or he switches his party affiliation. Now, I am making heavy assumptions here, but in 2008 Crist pulled a marriage out of his hat to become a potential VP prospect. He tried to bolster his bipartisan image by supporting the stimulus, and then regretting, and then confirming it. Crist definitely wants to keep his career. I believe that his best chance is to run as a Democrat. If he ran as an independent he would be in a three-way-race and probably get squeezed by the partisan camps. This is why the Florida race gets another bump. Basically, it is on its way to return to the 50-50 status it was before Crist joined. Rubio has solidifed his position, but Crist might very well take some of his republican loyalists into the democratic camp, as a protest vote against Rubio's extreme course (a.k.a. NY-23 reloaded).
Maybe I should wait another week or so to post the January update, but the times are too interesting to pass up on this opportunity. But we might not have seen the last mayor development.
However, Kirsten Gillibrand's seat is absolutely safe now. I had thought of that before, simply because I didn't believe in Rudy Giuliani's chances. Now Giuliani has agreed with me. Peter King might jump in though he would lose...but what else should he do? He's about to lose his house seat after the caucus.
Some new polls out of New Hampshire contain bad news for Paul Hodes who would lose against either Kelly Ayotte or Avide LaMontagne. In my opinion however, it doesn't change the situation a lot because it only makes a LaMontagne campaign more likely. And the New Hampshirites will not accept a teabagger. His unelectability will get obvious during the campaign. Kelly Ayotte is in a different situation. However, I am going to tell another secret: The teabaggers prefer manly candidates. Carly Fiorina will lose to teabagger Chuck DeVore. Kay Bailey Hutchison is losing to secessionist Rick Perry. The republican voters are male and they prefer their female candidates crazy and unhinged (Palin, Bachmann, Virginia Foxx, Lynn Jenkins etc....). Kelly Ayotte will not have the enthusiasm that is necessary to win a primary in a midterm year. I don't want to say that LaMontagne WILL beat Ayotte, but I say that it is getting more likely.
Something about the fundamental trends: The Dems are in the process of losing support. That was almost inevitable. The governing party loses independents during a recession. So far however, the Republican Party has not been able to improve its own standing among the voters. We are "only" seeing a general anti-establishment wave. That WILL hurt Demcorats more than Republicans, but not as much as a Republican wave hurts them. Michael Steele yesterday basically admitted that the Republicans will not take back the House. That was a dumb thing to say of course, because it doesn't ease the financial problems of the party. But it might lead to a more useful allocation of ressources. The Senate is the best place to block the democratic agenda. It remains to be seen if the financial situation of the republicans will have a general effect on the races but as long as we don't see a wave election the Dems can muddle through.
Muddling through is something the Dems have to do anyway until the economy and especially the job situation recovers. The economy will determine the independent vote.
Current worries about Democratic enthusiasm are justified but they will be somewhat alleviated during the course of the campaign. Jon Corzine of New Jersey caught up to Chris Cristie during the campaign. The enthusiasm gap will decrease and the Republicans don't have a lot of room to grow. So the problem is not as bad as it looks now, although it DOES exist. We don't yet know the full scope of that problem.
I am hearing that immigration reform will be THE issue of 2010. That is a good decision I think. And it might solidify latino support for democratic senators in states with latino population (Reid in Nevada, Bennet in Colorado, and what about Florida and a potential Meek vs. Rubio race??) In fact, immigration reform might kill the career of John McCain who might be facing a terrible challenge from extreme conservative J.D. Hayworth. The Dems need to find their Kendrick Meek of Arizona because there is an opportunity.
In other news, Gale Norton of Colorado is declaring health-care reform unconstitutional...just another evidence of the strength of the teabagger movement. Rand Paul is doing good against Trey Grayson, but I just can't see him as a senator. The Dems should nominate Lt. Gov. Conway who is the right hand of still somewhat popular democratic governor Steve Beshear (popular governors are a rarity nowadays...) and get that seat. Daniel Mongiardo would not be that strong in my opinion.
Incumbent, State Dem | Rep % change for Dems
Richard Shelby, Alabama 0 100 0
Lisa Murkowski, Alaska 0 100 0
John McCain, Arizona 10 90 +0,1
Blanche Lincoln, Arkansas 50 50 -0,5
Barbara Boxer, California 0 100 0
Michael Bennett, Colorado 80 20 -0,2
(Chris Dodd), Connecticut 80 20 -0,2
(Ted Kaufman), Delaware 70 30 -0,3
(Charles LeMieux), Florida 30 70 +0,3
Johnny Isakson, Georgia 0 100 0
Daniel Inouye, Hawai'i 100 0 0
Mike Crapo, Idaho 0 100 0
(Roland Burris), Illinois 80 20 -0,2
Evan Bayh, Indiana 100 0 0
Chuck Grassley, Iowa 10 90 +0,1
(Sam Brownback), Kansas 0 100 0
Jim Bunning, Kentucky 50 50 +0,5
David Vitter, Louisiana 30 70 +0,3
Barbara Mikulski, Maryland 100 0 0
(Kit Bond), Missouri 70 30 +0,7
Harry Reid, Nevada 60 40 -0,4
(Judd Gregg), New Hampshire 50 50 +0,5
Chuck Schumer, New York 100 0 0
Kirsten Gillibrand, New York Jr. 100 0 0
Richard Burr, North Carolina 30 70 +0,3
(Byron Dorgan), North Dakota 20 80 -0,8
Tim Coburn, Oklahoma 0 100 0
(George Voinovich), Ohio 50 50 +0,5
Ron Wyden, Oregon 100 0 0
Arlen Specter, Pennsylvania 90 10 -0,1
Jim DeMint, South Carolina 0 100 0
John Thune, South Dakota 0 100 0
Bob Bennett, Utah 0 100 0
Patrick Leahy, Vermont 100 0 0
Patty Murray, Washington 100 0 0
Russ Feingold, Wisconsin 100 0 0
Overall Estimate of Democratic gains: +0,6
Senate Ranking:
1. North Dakota (open) new
2. Missouri (open) -1
3. Kentucky (open) +1
4. Arkansas (Lincoln) -1
5. Ohio (open) +1
6. Nevada (Reid) +1
7. Florida (open) +6
8. Delaware (open) +2
9. North Carolina (Burr) -1
10. Louisiana (Vitter) -1
11. Colorado (Bennet) +1
12. Illinois (open) -1
13. Connecticut (open) -8
14. Pennsylvania (Specter) -
15. Arizona (McCain) +1
16. Iowa (Grassley) -1
I've added a 16th slot to show the last seat currently in play, too. I don't think that any of the other races has got potential (barring a surprise retirement ;-)). It's also somewhat embarassing to still end up with democratic gains. But I guess the difference here is that I am not afraid of a Toomey challenge in Pennsylvania. And I don't think that Mark Kirk is a 50-50 in Illinois. If I'd change my opinion, I'd come to the conclusion that 2010 is a wash... that is still ok-ish for the democrats I guess. But as the recruitment process is coming to a close (well... we're STILL waiting for Beau Biden....and J.D.Hayworth, Richard Blumenthal and John Hoeven) we end up with a level playing field. The democrats will have to fight to keep their majority and these recent days should have given them the necessary signs. There is not much left to improve for either party. The dems could have come up with a better challenger in North Carolina. Mike Huckabee would have been the best challenger in Arkansas and such... but realistically, we're pretty much looking at the starting field now (you can't expect Harry Reid to drop out, or, Lincoln getting replaced by ...insanely popular Governor Mike Beebe? Bill Clinton? Nah...)
Update: Ah, while I wrote this post, Richard Blumenthal announced his candidacy. Now, that seat is almost safe. I'll wait for PPP to publish their Blumenthal-Simmons matchup but I guess I can take that seat off the list soon.
Showing posts with label senate. Show all posts
Showing posts with label senate. Show all posts
Wednesday, 6 January 2010
Tuesday, 15 December 2009
Senate predictions - December edition
Things are getting gloomy for the Democrats. Bill White of Texas has switched to the gubernatorial race since Senator Hutchisons prospects against Rick Perry are getting worse. She will most probably not resign. Also, with the health care debate coming to a close, Senator Reid's prospects are nearing toss-up territory. He somehow has to sell a moderate bill to his base. And since 2010 will be a base election it will be very hard - but I believe that not passing a bill at all would be worse.
I don't know what to make of Rasmussen's depressing polls (from a democratic perspective). The Lincoln and Dodd polls are the best examples. These Senators are vulnerable, yes, but probably not as much as Rasmussen suggests. There have been numerous other polls on Sen. Lincoln who at least show her somewhat even to her best challengers. So Rasmussen's continued House-effect/bias/whatever somewhat devalues their results for me.
Yesterday had 2 new polls on the generic ballot, with the Democrats still being on top. The advantage is decreasing however, just like Obamas favorability who is now barely in positive territory on pollster.com. On the other hand, we might finally have job growth in December (holiday season?). While I can imagine that the January and February numbers will be worse again, the light at the end of the tunnel is visible now. So in some ways, 2010 is a race against time. Will the economic recovery kick in fast enough? That would make independents vote for Democrats. However, there is almost no doubt anymore that the Republican base will be more excited than the Democratic base. Luckily, the Republican base is rather small.
There isn't much big news on the recruitment front. Cal Cunningham is going to challenge Richard Burr in North Carolina. That's a good catch. Apart from that, we probably have to wait for the primaries to get some more movement.
Incumbent, State Dem | Rep % change for Dems
Richard Shelby, Alabama 0 100 0
Lisa Murkowski, Alaska 0 100 0
John McCain, Arizona 0 100 0
Blanche Lincoln, Arkansas 50 50 -0,5
Barbara Boxer, California 0 100 0
Michael Bennett, Colorado 80 20 -0,2
Chris Dodd, Connecticut 60 40 -0,4
(Ted Kaufman), Delaware 70 30 -0,3
(Charles LeMieux), Florida 20 80 +0,2
Johnny Isakson, Georgia 0 100 0
Daniel Inouye, Hawai'i 100 0 0
Mike Crapo, Idaho 0 100 0
(Roland Burris), Illinois 80 20 -0,2
Evan Bayh, Indiana 100 0 0
Chuck Grassley, Iowa 10 90 +0,1
(Sam Brownback), Kansas 0 100 0
Jim Bunning, Kentucky 50 50 +0,5
David Vitter, Louisiana 30 70 +0,3
Barbara Mikulski, Maryland 100 0 0
(Kit Bond), Missouri 70 30 +0,7
Harry Reid, Nevada 60 40 -0,4
(Judd Gregg), New Hampshire 60 40 +0,6
Chuck Schumer, New York 100 0 0
Kirsten Gillibrand, New York Jr. 100 0 0
Richard Burr, North Carolina 30 70 +0,3
Byron Dorgan, North Dakota 100 0 0
Tim Coburn, Oklahoma 0 100 0
(George Voinovich), Ohio 50 50 +0,5
Ron Wyden, Oregon 100 0 0
Arlen Specter, Pennsylvania 90 10 -0,1
Jim DeMint, South Carolina 0 100 0
John Thune, South Dakota 0 100 0
Bob Bennett, Utah 0 100 0
Patrick Leahy, Vermont 100 0 0
Patty Murray, Washington 100 0 0
Russ Feingold, Wisconsin 100 0 0
Overall Estimate of Democratic gains: +1,1
Senate Ranking:
1. Missouri (open) -
2. New Hampshire (open) +1
3. Arkansas (Lincoln) +3
4. Kentucky (open) -1
5. Connecticut (Dodd) -
6. Ohio (open) -4
7. Nevada (Reid) -
8. North Carolina (Burr) +5
9. Louisiana (Vitter) -
10. Delaware (open) -
11. Illinois (open) -
12. Colorado (Bennett) -
13. Florida (open) +1
14. Pennsylvania (Specter) new
15. Iowa (Grassley) -1
We have to see the effect of the primaries on the races. For example, Mark Kirk's recent turnaround on climate change and the health-care bill seriously hurt his moderate credentials. The same is true for Mike Castle. Unsurprisingly, both of them have hurt in most recent polls (these polls however are already a few weeks old). Rob Portman has caught up to Lt. Gov. Fisher in Ohio and we have to wait for the economy to recover - but the republican base enthusiasm is a good counterweight. By the way, there are now 15 potentially competetive races. So next month, we might reduce that number even further - which means that I will reduce the top 15 to a top 10.
I don't know what to make of Rasmussen's depressing polls (from a democratic perspective). The Lincoln and Dodd polls are the best examples. These Senators are vulnerable, yes, but probably not as much as Rasmussen suggests. There have been numerous other polls on Sen. Lincoln who at least show her somewhat even to her best challengers. So Rasmussen's continued House-effect/bias/whatever somewhat devalues their results for me.
Yesterday had 2 new polls on the generic ballot, with the Democrats still being on top. The advantage is decreasing however, just like Obamas favorability who is now barely in positive territory on pollster.com. On the other hand, we might finally have job growth in December (holiday season?). While I can imagine that the January and February numbers will be worse again, the light at the end of the tunnel is visible now. So in some ways, 2010 is a race against time. Will the economic recovery kick in fast enough? That would make independents vote for Democrats. However, there is almost no doubt anymore that the Republican base will be more excited than the Democratic base. Luckily, the Republican base is rather small.
There isn't much big news on the recruitment front. Cal Cunningham is going to challenge Richard Burr in North Carolina. That's a good catch. Apart from that, we probably have to wait for the primaries to get some more movement.
Incumbent, State Dem | Rep % change for Dems
Richard Shelby, Alabama 0 100 0
Lisa Murkowski, Alaska 0 100 0
John McCain, Arizona 0 100 0
Blanche Lincoln, Arkansas 50 50 -0,5
Barbara Boxer, California 0 100 0
Michael Bennett, Colorado 80 20 -0,2
Chris Dodd, Connecticut 60 40 -0,4
(Ted Kaufman), Delaware 70 30 -0,3
(Charles LeMieux), Florida 20 80 +0,2
Johnny Isakson, Georgia 0 100 0
Daniel Inouye, Hawai'i 100 0 0
Mike Crapo, Idaho 0 100 0
(Roland Burris), Illinois 80 20 -0,2
Evan Bayh, Indiana 100 0 0
Chuck Grassley, Iowa 10 90 +0,1
(Sam Brownback), Kansas 0 100 0
Jim Bunning, Kentucky 50 50 +0,5
David Vitter, Louisiana 30 70 +0,3
Barbara Mikulski, Maryland 100 0 0
(Kit Bond), Missouri 70 30 +0,7
Harry Reid, Nevada 60 40 -0,4
(Judd Gregg), New Hampshire 60 40 +0,6
Chuck Schumer, New York 100 0 0
Kirsten Gillibrand, New York Jr. 100 0 0
Richard Burr, North Carolina 30 70 +0,3
Byron Dorgan, North Dakota 100 0 0
Tim Coburn, Oklahoma 0 100 0
(George Voinovich), Ohio 50 50 +0,5
Ron Wyden, Oregon 100 0 0
Arlen Specter, Pennsylvania 90 10 -0,1
Jim DeMint, South Carolina 0 100 0
John Thune, South Dakota 0 100 0
Bob Bennett, Utah 0 100 0
Patrick Leahy, Vermont 100 0 0
Patty Murray, Washington 100 0 0
Russ Feingold, Wisconsin 100 0 0
Overall Estimate of Democratic gains: +1,1
Senate Ranking:
1. Missouri (open) -
2. New Hampshire (open) +1
3. Arkansas (Lincoln) +3
4. Kentucky (open) -1
5. Connecticut (Dodd) -
6. Ohio (open) -4
7. Nevada (Reid) -
8. North Carolina (Burr) +5
9. Louisiana (Vitter) -
10. Delaware (open) -
11. Illinois (open) -
12. Colorado (Bennett) -
13. Florida (open) +1
14. Pennsylvania (Specter) new
15. Iowa (Grassley) -1
We have to see the effect of the primaries on the races. For example, Mark Kirk's recent turnaround on climate change and the health-care bill seriously hurt his moderate credentials. The same is true for Mike Castle. Unsurprisingly, both of them have hurt in most recent polls (these polls however are already a few weeks old). Rob Portman has caught up to Lt. Gov. Fisher in Ohio and we have to wait for the economy to recover - but the republican base enthusiasm is a good counterweight. By the way, there are now 15 potentially competetive races. So next month, we might reduce that number even further - which means that I will reduce the top 15 to a top 10.
Wednesday, 30 September 2009
Senate predictions - October edition
Hello,
here's the list for October:
Incumbent, State Dem | Rep % change for Dems
Richard Shelby, Alabama 0 100 0
Lisa Murkowski, Alaska 0 100 0
John McCain, Arizona 10 90 +0,1
Blanche Lincoln, Arkansas 60 40 -0,4
Barbara Boxer, California 0 100 0
Michael Bennett, Colorado 80 20 -0,2
Chris Dodd, Connecticut 60 40 -0,4
(Ted Kaufman), Delaware 70 30 -0,3
(Charles LeMieux), Florida 20 80 +0,2
Johnny Isakson, Georgia 0 100 0
Daniel Inouye, Hawai'i 100 0 0
Mike Crapo, Idaho 0 100 0
(Roland Burris), Illinois 80 20 -0,2
Evan Bayh, Indiana 100 0 0
Chuck Grassley, Iowa 10 90 +0,1
(Sam Brownback), Kansas 0 100 0
Jim Bunning, Kentucky 50 50 +0,5
David Vitter, Louisiana 30 70 +0,3
Barbara Mikulski, Maryland 100 0 0
(Kit Bond), Missouri 70 30 +0,7
Harry Reid, Nevada 70 30 -0,3
(Judd Gregg), New Hampshire 60 40 +0,6
Chuck Schumer, New York 100 0 0
Kirsten Gillibrand, New York Jr. 100 0 0
Richard Burr, North Carolina 20 80 +0,2
Byron Dorgan, North Dakota 100 0 0
Tim Coburn, Oklahoma 0 100 0
(George Voinovich), Ohio 60 40 +0,6
Ron Wyden, Oregon 100 0 0
Arlen Specter, Pennsylvania 90 10 -0,1
Jim DeMint, South Carolina 0 100 0
John Thune, South Dakota 0 100 0
(Kay B. Hutchison), Texas 30 70 +0,3
Bob Bennett, Utah 0 100 0
Patrick Leahy, Vermont 100 0 0
Patty Murray, Washington 100 0 0
Russ Feingold, Wisconsin 100 0 0
Overall Estimate of Democratic gains: +1,7
Senate Ranking:
1. Missouri (open) -
2. Ohio (open) +1
3. New Hampshire (open) -1
4. Kentucky (open) -
5. Connecticut (Dodd) -
6. Arkansas (Lincoln) +2
7. Nevada (Reid) +4
8. Texas (open) -2
9. Louisiana (Vitter) -
10. Delaware (open) -3
11. Illinois (open) -1
12. Colorado (Bennett) -
13. North Carolina -
14. Florida (open) -
15. Iowa (Grassley) -
Alright, my idea of the electorate in 2010 is a little friendlier for the Dems than Rasmussen's idea. I, for one, believe that a meaningful health-care reform will pass, either a trigger with 60 democratic votes, or a public option via reconciliation. That's essentially why I think that the current poll numbers for the Dems are a little lower than they will be in 13 months in general. This leads me to more or less disregard the Rasmussen poll that shows Rob Portman head to head with both Lt. Gov. Fisher and SoS Jennifer Brunner, instead I trust the Quinnipiac, Research2000 and PPP polls that show Portman behind both democratic candidates. Maybe the Republicans have a structural disadvantage in the rust belt at the moment. Some poll numbers from Michigan seem to confirm this - as such, I believe that Portman will have a real structural disadvantage. And so this race becomes the 3rd race in my list where the incumbent party is more likely to lose the seat.
My vision of 2010 also gives endangered Democrats something to show for. That's why I am not yet ready to toss Harry Reid, Blanche Lincoln and Chris Dodd into damnation. Yet, I made the Nevada and Arkansas races a little more competitive. Once again, Rasmussen's Arkansas numbers are really bad for Lincoln, while Research 2000's numbers aren't really good for her, but her opponents lack name recognition and Lincoln (and Reid) has got a LOT of money and she's also the chairman of the Senate agricultural committee now, which gives her another argument of why Arkansans should keep her. So in some ways she is better off than Reid, on the other hand - it's Arkansas, and it's trending red... we'll see...
I downgraded the Delaware race because I think that, if Mike Castle really wanted to run, he wouldn't wait until Beau Biden is back from Iraq. I mean, it has been clear from the very beginning that Biden will run, and there was no other Democrat in the race. Mike Castle has waited and waited and waited... but if his decision depended on Biden, why would he run ONLY after Biden decided to run? That doesn't make sense, Biden is legitimate candidate with lots of name recognition and a White House boost. He would probably be the strongest Democrat available - so why would Castle wait until he knows that his challenge has become greater? My guess: once Biden is in, Mike Castle is out. If Biden is out, Castle is in - he doesn't want another hard campaign, he has probably thought about retirement and would only run if he got an easy race. Maybe he is also appeasing the Republican congressional leadership.
I continue to believe that Marco Rubio has got a good chance of beating Charlie Crist in the Republican Florida primary, and then Rubio would be a slight favorite against likely Democratic nominee Kendrick Meek. That's how I get to a 20% chance of seat-flipping, that's why the race stays in the list. And finally, Chuck Grassley's numbers have suffered from the health-care debate. It's good that he is on the top 15 already, but we have to see if this slide goes on to justify a change
here's the list for October:
Incumbent, State Dem | Rep % change for Dems
Richard Shelby, Alabama 0 100 0
Lisa Murkowski, Alaska 0 100 0
John McCain, Arizona 10 90 +0,1
Blanche Lincoln, Arkansas 60 40 -0,4
Barbara Boxer, California 0 100 0
Michael Bennett, Colorado 80 20 -0,2
Chris Dodd, Connecticut 60 40 -0,4
(Ted Kaufman), Delaware 70 30 -0,3
(Charles LeMieux), Florida 20 80 +0,2
Johnny Isakson, Georgia 0 100 0
Daniel Inouye, Hawai'i 100 0 0
Mike Crapo, Idaho 0 100 0
(Roland Burris), Illinois 80 20 -0,2
Evan Bayh, Indiana 100 0 0
Chuck Grassley, Iowa 10 90 +0,1
(Sam Brownback), Kansas 0 100 0
Jim Bunning, Kentucky 50 50 +0,5
David Vitter, Louisiana 30 70 +0,3
Barbara Mikulski, Maryland 100 0 0
(Kit Bond), Missouri 70 30 +0,7
Harry Reid, Nevada 70 30 -0,3
(Judd Gregg), New Hampshire 60 40 +0,6
Chuck Schumer, New York 100 0 0
Kirsten Gillibrand, New York Jr. 100 0 0
Richard Burr, North Carolina 20 80 +0,2
Byron Dorgan, North Dakota 100 0 0
Tim Coburn, Oklahoma 0 100 0
(George Voinovich), Ohio 60 40 +0,6
Ron Wyden, Oregon 100 0 0
Arlen Specter, Pennsylvania 90 10 -0,1
Jim DeMint, South Carolina 0 100 0
John Thune, South Dakota 0 100 0
(Kay B. Hutchison), Texas 30 70 +0,3
Bob Bennett, Utah 0 100 0
Patrick Leahy, Vermont 100 0 0
Patty Murray, Washington 100 0 0
Russ Feingold, Wisconsin 100 0 0
Overall Estimate of Democratic gains: +1,7
Senate Ranking:
1. Missouri (open) -
2. Ohio (open) +1
3. New Hampshire (open) -1
4. Kentucky (open) -
5. Connecticut (Dodd) -
6. Arkansas (Lincoln) +2
7. Nevada (Reid) +4
8. Texas (open) -2
9. Louisiana (Vitter) -
10. Delaware (open) -3
11. Illinois (open) -1
12. Colorado (Bennett) -
13. North Carolina -
14. Florida (open) -
15. Iowa (Grassley) -
Alright, my idea of the electorate in 2010 is a little friendlier for the Dems than Rasmussen's idea. I, for one, believe that a meaningful health-care reform will pass, either a trigger with 60 democratic votes, or a public option via reconciliation. That's essentially why I think that the current poll numbers for the Dems are a little lower than they will be in 13 months in general. This leads me to more or less disregard the Rasmussen poll that shows Rob Portman head to head with both Lt. Gov. Fisher and SoS Jennifer Brunner, instead I trust the Quinnipiac, Research2000 and PPP polls that show Portman behind both democratic candidates. Maybe the Republicans have a structural disadvantage in the rust belt at the moment. Some poll numbers from Michigan seem to confirm this - as such, I believe that Portman will have a real structural disadvantage. And so this race becomes the 3rd race in my list where the incumbent party is more likely to lose the seat.
My vision of 2010 also gives endangered Democrats something to show for. That's why I am not yet ready to toss Harry Reid, Blanche Lincoln and Chris Dodd into damnation. Yet, I made the Nevada and Arkansas races a little more competitive. Once again, Rasmussen's Arkansas numbers are really bad for Lincoln, while Research 2000's numbers aren't really good for her, but her opponents lack name recognition and Lincoln (and Reid) has got a LOT of money and she's also the chairman of the Senate agricultural committee now, which gives her another argument of why Arkansans should keep her. So in some ways she is better off than Reid, on the other hand - it's Arkansas, and it's trending red... we'll see...
I downgraded the Delaware race because I think that, if Mike Castle really wanted to run, he wouldn't wait until Beau Biden is back from Iraq. I mean, it has been clear from the very beginning that Biden will run, and there was no other Democrat in the race. Mike Castle has waited and waited and waited... but if his decision depended on Biden, why would he run ONLY after Biden decided to run? That doesn't make sense, Biden is legitimate candidate with lots of name recognition and a White House boost. He would probably be the strongest Democrat available - so why would Castle wait until he knows that his challenge has become greater? My guess: once Biden is in, Mike Castle is out. If Biden is out, Castle is in - he doesn't want another hard campaign, he has probably thought about retirement and would only run if he got an easy race. Maybe he is also appeasing the Republican congressional leadership.
I continue to believe that Marco Rubio has got a good chance of beating Charlie Crist in the Republican Florida primary, and then Rubio would be a slight favorite against likely Democratic nominee Kendrick Meek. That's how I get to a 20% chance of seat-flipping, that's why the race stays in the list. And finally, Chuck Grassley's numbers have suffered from the health-care debate. It's good that he is on the top 15 already, but we have to see if this slide goes on to justify a change
Monday, 31 August 2009
Senate predictions - September 2009
This month saw several small developments but none of them managed to really shake up a race. Maybe the most signifacnt development was the announcement of Charles Melancon to challenge David Vitter - but this was already a possibility last month. Harry Reid and Richard Burr still poll badly, but without a challenger nothing will change... Blanche Lincoln probably needs to start worrying that all her campaign money won't be enough since she polls even against Republican no-name challengers. In New Hampshire Kelly Ayotte has decided to run as a social conservative - she probably has to because of a primary challenge, but it will harm her in the general election.
Incumbent, State Dem | Rep % change for Dems
Richard Shelby, Alabama 0 100 0
Lisa Murkowski, Alaska 0 100 0
John McCain, Arizona 10 90 +0,1
Blanche Lincoln, Arkansas 70 30 -0,3
Barbara Boxer, California 0 100 0
Michael Bennett, Colorado 80 20 -0,2
Chris Dodd, Connecticut 60 40 -0,4
(Ted Kaufman), Delaware 70 30 -0,3
(Charles LeMieux), Florida 20 80 +0,2
Johnny Isakson, Georgia 0 100 0
Daniel Inouye, Hawai'i 100 0 0
Mike Crapo, Idaho 0 100 0
(Roland Burris), Illinois 80 20 -0,2
Evan Bayh, Indiana 100 0 0
Chuck Grassley, Iowa 10 90 +0,1
(Sam Brownback), Kansas 0 100 0
Jim Bunning, Kentucky 50 50 +0,5
David Vitter, Louisiana 30 70 +0,3
Barbara Mikulski, Maryland 100 0 0
(Kit Bond), Missouri 70 30 +0,7
Harry Reid, Nevada 80 20 -0,2
(Judd Gregg), New Hampshire 60 40 +0,6
Chuck Schumer, New York 100 0 0
Kirsten Gillibrand, New York Jr. 100 0 0
Richard Burr, North Carolina 20 80 +0,2
Byron Dorgan, North Dakota 100 0 0
Tim Coburn, Oklahoma 0 100 0
(George Voinovich), Ohio 50 50 +0,5
Ron Wyden, Oregon 100 0 0
Arlen Specter, Pennsylvania 90 10 -0,1
Jim DeMint, South Carolina 0 100 0
John Thune, South Dakota 0 100 0
(Kay B. Hutchison), Texas 30 70 +0,3
Bob Bennett, Utah 0 100 0
Patrick Leahy, Vermont 100 0 0
Patty Murray, Washington 100 0 0
Russ Feingold, Wisconsin 100 0 0
Overall Estimate of Democratic gains: +1,8
Senate Ranking:
1. Missouri (open) -
2. New Hampshire (open) +1
3. Ohio (open) -1
4. Kentucky (open) -
5. Connecticut (Dodd) -
6. Texas (open) -
7. Delaware (open) -
8. Arkansas (Lincoln) +6
9. Louisiana (Vitter) -
10. Illinois (open) -
11. Nevada (Reid) -
12. Colorado (Bennett) -
13. North Carolina -5
14. Florida (open) -1
15. Iowa (Grassley) new
Incumbent, State Dem | Rep % change for Dems
Richard Shelby, Alabama 0 100 0
Lisa Murkowski, Alaska 0 100 0
John McCain, Arizona 10 90 +0,1
Blanche Lincoln, Arkansas 70 30 -0,3
Barbara Boxer, California 0 100 0
Michael Bennett, Colorado 80 20 -0,2
Chris Dodd, Connecticut 60 40 -0,4
(Ted Kaufman), Delaware 70 30 -0,3
(Charles LeMieux), Florida 20 80 +0,2
Johnny Isakson, Georgia 0 100 0
Daniel Inouye, Hawai'i 100 0 0
Mike Crapo, Idaho 0 100 0
(Roland Burris), Illinois 80 20 -0,2
Evan Bayh, Indiana 100 0 0
Chuck Grassley, Iowa 10 90 +0,1
(Sam Brownback), Kansas 0 100 0
Jim Bunning, Kentucky 50 50 +0,5
David Vitter, Louisiana 30 70 +0,3
Barbara Mikulski, Maryland 100 0 0
(Kit Bond), Missouri 70 30 +0,7
Harry Reid, Nevada 80 20 -0,2
(Judd Gregg), New Hampshire 60 40 +0,6
Chuck Schumer, New York 100 0 0
Kirsten Gillibrand, New York Jr. 100 0 0
Richard Burr, North Carolina 20 80 +0,2
Byron Dorgan, North Dakota 100 0 0
Tim Coburn, Oklahoma 0 100 0
(George Voinovich), Ohio 50 50 +0,5
Ron Wyden, Oregon 100 0 0
Arlen Specter, Pennsylvania 90 10 -0,1
Jim DeMint, South Carolina 0 100 0
John Thune, South Dakota 0 100 0
(Kay B. Hutchison), Texas 30 70 +0,3
Bob Bennett, Utah 0 100 0
Patrick Leahy, Vermont 100 0 0
Patty Murray, Washington 100 0 0
Russ Feingold, Wisconsin 100 0 0
Overall Estimate of Democratic gains: +1,8
Senate Ranking:
1. Missouri (open) -
2. New Hampshire (open) +1
3. Ohio (open) -1
4. Kentucky (open) -
5. Connecticut (Dodd) -
6. Texas (open) -
7. Delaware (open) -
8. Arkansas (Lincoln) +6
9. Louisiana (Vitter) -
10. Illinois (open) -
11. Nevada (Reid) -
12. Colorado (Bennett) -
13. North Carolina -5
14. Florida (open) -1
15. Iowa (Grassley) new
Wednesday, 29 July 2009
Senate predictions - July/August
Since I couldn't manage to make a list for July, we have 2 months of developments in just one update. The Republican position has improved since May. Their "all-men-on-board" approach is doing its best to prevent another Democratic wave election in the Senate, even though that means a loss of talent elsewhere. For example, Mark Kirk is the only viable republican candidate in the Senate in Illinois, and he runs. Mike Castle would be the only one in Delaware, but I wonder if he still wants to run, after his recent encounter with his birther base. I don't know.... I get the feeling that the 2010 election is mounting up to be a last-stand election. After that, the Republicans have to go through a severe reform process.
Anyway, for now they are not looking THAT bad. Sen. Bunning is going to retire, that's helping, too. And who knows, maybe New Hampshire AG Kelly Aiotte can mount an effective campaign against Paul Hodes.
A lot depends on the status of the Obama presidency, especially the races in the swing states, Florida, Ohio, Missouri.... That's why there's still a lot of uncertainty in some races.
Incumbent, State Dem | Rep % change for Dems
Richard Shelby, Alabama 0 100 0
Lisa Murkowski, Alaska 0 100 0
John McCain, Arizona 10 90 +0,1
Blanche Lincoln, Arkansas 80 20 -0,2
Barbara Boxer, California 90 10 -0,1
Michael Bennett, Colorado 80 20 -0,2
Chris Dodd, Connecticut 60 40 -0,4
(Ted Kaufman), Delaware 70 30 -0,3
(Mel Martinez), Florida 20 80 +0,2
Johnny Isakson, Georgia 0 100 0
Daniel Inouye, Hawai'i 100 0 0
Mike Crapo, Idaho 0 100 0
(Roland Burris), Illinois 80 20 -0,2
Evan Bayh, Indiana 100 0 0
Chuck Grassley, Iowa 0 100 0
(Sam Brownback), Kansas 0 100 0
Jim Bunning, Kentucky 50 50 +0,5
David Vitter, Louisiana 20 80 +0,2
Barbara Mikulski, Maryland 100 0 0
(Kit Bond), Missouri 70 30 +0,7
Harry Reid, Nevada 80 20 -0,2
(Judd Gregg), New Hampshire 50 50 +0,5
Chuck Schumer, New York 100 0 0
Kirsten Gillibrand, New York Jr. 100 0 0
Richard Burr, North Carolina 30 70 +0,3
Byron Dorgan, North Dakota 100 0 0
Tim Coburn, Oklahoma 0 100 0
(George Voinovich), Ohio 50 50 +0,5
Ron Wyden, Oregon 100 0 0
Arlen Specter, Pennsylvania 90 10 -0,1
Jim DeMint, South Carolina 0 100 0
John Thune, South Dakota 0 100 0
(Kay B. Hutchison), Texas 30 70 +0,3
Bob Bennett, Utah 0 100 0
Patrick Leahy, Vermont 100 0 0
Patty Murray, Washington 100 0 0
Russ Feingold, Wisconsin 100 0 0
Overall Estimate of Democratic gains: +1,6
I've realized that only minor changes were necessary. For example, Charlie Melancon's candidacy in Louisiana is countered by the possibility of Bobby Jindal jumping into the race (noone wants to be a governor right now...). Also, I had already expected some of the developments, and there's not much that shocked me. I considered pushing the Democrats to 60% in Ohio after several similar polls, showing Portman behind Fisher AND Brunner, but too much depends on the state of the economy. I had Kentucky as a 50:50 before, and a Grayson vs. Conway race will be just that.
Senate Ranking:
1. Missouri (open) -
2. Ohio (open) +2
3. New Hampshire (open) -1
4. Kentucky (open) -1
5. Connecticut (Dodd) -
6. Texas (open) +2
7. Delaware (open) +3
8. North Carolina (Burr) -2
9. Lousiana (Vitter) +3
10. Illinois (open) new
11. Nevada (Reid) -2
12. Colorado (Bennett) -1
13. Florida (open) -6
14. Arkansas (Lincoln) -
15. Arizona (McCain) -2
Republican improvements in New Hampshire and Connecticut benefit the Ohio race, and the Delaware race continues to climb (maybe I underestimated the potential at the beginning - still, it's more a benefit of Mike Castle being in the news, while the other races, Nevada, Colorado, Arkansas are suspiciously quiet....). The Florida race has dropped by a lot, I can't really quantify it, and maybe it should be higher because of all the endorsements Marco Rubio is getting, but things should go well for Crist....
Anyway, for now they are not looking THAT bad. Sen. Bunning is going to retire, that's helping, too. And who knows, maybe New Hampshire AG Kelly Aiotte can mount an effective campaign against Paul Hodes.
A lot depends on the status of the Obama presidency, especially the races in the swing states, Florida, Ohio, Missouri.... That's why there's still a lot of uncertainty in some races.
Incumbent, State Dem | Rep % change for Dems
Richard Shelby, Alabama 0 100 0
Lisa Murkowski, Alaska 0 100 0
John McCain, Arizona 10 90 +0,1
Blanche Lincoln, Arkansas 80 20 -0,2
Barbara Boxer, California 90 10 -0,1
Michael Bennett, Colorado 80 20 -0,2
Chris Dodd, Connecticut 60 40 -0,4
(Ted Kaufman), Delaware 70 30 -0,3
(Mel Martinez), Florida 20 80 +0,2
Johnny Isakson, Georgia 0 100 0
Daniel Inouye, Hawai'i 100 0 0
Mike Crapo, Idaho 0 100 0
(Roland Burris), Illinois 80 20 -0,2
Evan Bayh, Indiana 100 0 0
Chuck Grassley, Iowa 0 100 0
(Sam Brownback), Kansas 0 100 0
Jim Bunning, Kentucky 50 50 +0,5
David Vitter, Louisiana 20 80 +0,2
Barbara Mikulski, Maryland 100 0 0
(Kit Bond), Missouri 70 30 +0,7
Harry Reid, Nevada 80 20 -0,2
(Judd Gregg), New Hampshire 50 50 +0,5
Chuck Schumer, New York 100 0 0
Kirsten Gillibrand, New York Jr. 100 0 0
Richard Burr, North Carolina 30 70 +0,3
Byron Dorgan, North Dakota 100 0 0
Tim Coburn, Oklahoma 0 100 0
(George Voinovich), Ohio 50 50 +0,5
Ron Wyden, Oregon 100 0 0
Arlen Specter, Pennsylvania 90 10 -0,1
Jim DeMint, South Carolina 0 100 0
John Thune, South Dakota 0 100 0
(Kay B. Hutchison), Texas 30 70 +0,3
Bob Bennett, Utah 0 100 0
Patrick Leahy, Vermont 100 0 0
Patty Murray, Washington 100 0 0
Russ Feingold, Wisconsin 100 0 0
Overall Estimate of Democratic gains: +1,6
I've realized that only minor changes were necessary. For example, Charlie Melancon's candidacy in Louisiana is countered by the possibility of Bobby Jindal jumping into the race (noone wants to be a governor right now...). Also, I had already expected some of the developments, and there's not much that shocked me. I considered pushing the Democrats to 60% in Ohio after several similar polls, showing Portman behind Fisher AND Brunner, but too much depends on the state of the economy. I had Kentucky as a 50:50 before, and a Grayson vs. Conway race will be just that.
Senate Ranking:
1. Missouri (open) -
2. Ohio (open) +2
3. New Hampshire (open) -1
4. Kentucky (open) -1
5. Connecticut (Dodd) -
6. Texas (open) +2
7. Delaware (open) +3
8. North Carolina (Burr) -2
9. Lousiana (Vitter) +3
10. Illinois (open) new
11. Nevada (Reid) -2
12. Colorado (Bennett) -1
13. Florida (open) -6
14. Arkansas (Lincoln) -
15. Arizona (McCain) -2
Republican improvements in New Hampshire and Connecticut benefit the Ohio race, and the Delaware race continues to climb (maybe I underestimated the potential at the beginning - still, it's more a benefit of Mike Castle being in the news, while the other races, Nevada, Colorado, Arkansas are suspiciously quiet....). The Florida race has dropped by a lot, I can't really quantify it, and maybe it should be higher because of all the endorsements Marco Rubio is getting, but things should go well for Crist....
Monday, 1 June 2009
Senate predictions - June
Time for new Senate rankings!
Incumbent, State Dem | Rep % change for Dems
Richard Shelby, Alabama 0 100 0
Lisa Murkowski, Alaska 0 100 0
John McCain, Arizona 20 80 +0,2
Blanche Lincoln, Arkansas 80 20 -0,2
Barbara Boxer, California 90 10 -0,1
Michael Bennett, Colorado 80 20 -0,2
Chris Dodd, Connecticut 60 40 -0,4
(Ted Kaufman), Delaware 80 20 -0,2
(Mel Martinez), Florida 70 30 +0,3
Johnny Isakson, Georgia 0 100 0
Daniel Inouye, Hawai'i 100 0 0
Mike Crapo, Idaho 0 100 0
(Roland Burris), Illinois 90 10 -0,1
Evan Bayh, Indiana 100 0 0
Chuck Grassley, Iowa 10 90 +0,1
(Sam Brownback), Kansas 0 100 0
Jim Bunning, Kentucky 50 50 +0,5
David Vitter, Louisiana 20 80 +0,2
Barbara Mikulski, Maryland 100 0 0
(Kit Bond), Missouri 70 30 +0,7
Harry Reid, Nevada 80 20 -0,2
(Judd Gregg), New Hampshire 70 30 +0,7
Chuck Schumer, New York 100 0 0
Kirsten Gillibrand, New York Jr. 100 0 0
Richard Burr, North Carolina 30 70 +0,3
Byron Dorgan, North Dakota 100 0 0
Tim Coburn, Oklahoma 10 90 +0,1
(George Voinovich), Ohio 50 50 +0,5
Ron Wyden, Oregon 100 0 0
Arlen Specter, Pennsylvania 90 10 -0,1
Jim DeMint, South Carolina 0 100 0
John Thune, South Dakota 0 100 0
(Kay B. Hutchison), Texas 30 70 +0,3
Bob Bennett, Utah 0 100 0
Patrick Leahy, Vermont 100 0 0
Patty Murray, Washington 100 0 0
Russ Feingold, Wisconsin 100 0 0
Overall Estimate of Democratic gains: +2,6
Senate Ranking:
1. Missouri (open) -
2. New Hampshire (open) -
3. Kentucky (Bunning) -
4. Ohio (open) -
5. Connecticut (Dodd) +1
6. North Carolina (Burr) +1
7. Florida (open) -2
8. Texas (open) +2
9. Nevada (Reid) -
10. Delaware (open) +6
11. Colorado (Bennet) -3
12. Louisiana (Vitter) -1
13. Arizona (McCain) -
14. Arkansas (Lincoln) -3
15. Oklahoma (open?) new
There were a few big announcements last month, Crist's run for the Senate and Roy Cooper's decision not to do the same in North Carolina. Ironically, the North Carolina race moved up even further in my ranking, even though the likelihood of a seat change has decreased. Well... I still think that Burr is very vulnerable, and Heath Shuler is reconsidering a run. But Cooper was the Democrats' best chance of getting that seat. We have to see if there is another major development in this race. If not, it's going to drop a lot. Florida has already dropped. I think it's possible that Rubio defeats Charlie Crist in a primary, especially if he is backed by the Jeb Bush-camp (and Huckabee's evangelical support doesn't hurt either). Also, the midterm elections will give a boost to the more partisan primary candidates and their more active supporters. Still, Crist would be a heavy favorite in the general election against presumable Democratic nominee Kendrick Meek. In any case, the republican primary will be interesting to watch, it's the kind of primary we didn't get in Pennsylvania.
At the top of the ranking, everything stays the same. Carnahan is the best possible candidate in the Missouri race, no matter which Republican runs. Paul Hodes continues to be the only candidate in New Hampshire. Jim Bunning is still not retiring.... Dodd is somewhat rebounding and getting heavy boosts from Obama. Time will tell if the anti-Dodd sentiment is going to prevail. Texas moves to a new record standing, mainly because other races with a similar likelihood of change are getting less interesting, and that Texas seat is still looking like a real battle, once it is open. On the other hand, Blanche Lincoln will not face Tim Griffin, Reid and Bennet continue to poll badly but don't face serious challengers, and Chuck Grassley is not retiring either.
These minor changes in probability also affect the open race for the Delaware Senate seat - a race without any candidate at all so far! Mike Castle hasn't decided yet and might be waiting for the return of Beau Biden and his reception (Biden's standing will depend on the standing of the Obama government like noone else). No other Republican has a chance to win, and no Democrat wants to piss off the Vice President by jumping in.
I wonder if the nomination of Sotomayor is creating any trouble for Sen. McCain. I guess he has to reject her because of his anti-immigrant challenger. That would severe his relatively good ties with hispanics and make a Democratic challenge more promising. But who is going to run?
At the very end, the Oklahoma seat makes a first entrance into the ranking, but it might very well be the only appearance, since Tom Coburn is going to announce his plans for the future today. If he retires, Democrats have 2 very good candidates, but since it's Oklahoma, even that might not be enough. If Coburn doesn't retire, the seat is his.
Taken all together, the Republicans enjoy a breath of fresh air after a series of misfortunes. They can continue their good streak by recruiting Mike Castle and Bob Beauprez. However, their improved outlook comes at a price of moderation. Charlie Crist and Mike Castle would be fairly moderate Senators, voting with the Democrats maybe half of the time or so. They'd gain more support for their agenda from Delaware, but they'd lose some in Florida. And since the Democrats already have their 60 seats, these new Republican senators would merely counter the conservative Democrats Ben Nelson, Blanche Lincoln, Mark Pryor and Mary Landrieu.
If you pointed a gun at my head, I'd say that Carnahan, Hodes, Conway and Fisher flip their seats, and Castle wins the Delaware seat if he runs. The Republicans "should" be focussing on Nevada and Colorado, since they can change the partisan makeup of the Senate much more in these states than in New Hampshire or Florida (with Crist). At best (for Republicans), the 2010 elections will be a draw, with Carnahan winning in Missouri, Castle winning in Delaware, the Democrats picking up one seat ...somewhere.... (NH, OH, KT) and the Republicans also picking up one seat ...somewhere... (CO, NV, CT).
Incumbent, State Dem | Rep % change for Dems
Richard Shelby, Alabama 0 100 0
Lisa Murkowski, Alaska 0 100 0
John McCain, Arizona 20 80 +0,2
Blanche Lincoln, Arkansas 80 20 -0,2
Barbara Boxer, California 90 10 -0,1
Michael Bennett, Colorado 80 20 -0,2
Chris Dodd, Connecticut 60 40 -0,4
(Ted Kaufman), Delaware 80 20 -0,2
(Mel Martinez), Florida 70 30 +0,3
Johnny Isakson, Georgia 0 100 0
Daniel Inouye, Hawai'i 100 0 0
Mike Crapo, Idaho 0 100 0
(Roland Burris), Illinois 90 10 -0,1
Evan Bayh, Indiana 100 0 0
Chuck Grassley, Iowa 10 90 +0,1
(Sam Brownback), Kansas 0 100 0
Jim Bunning, Kentucky 50 50 +0,5
David Vitter, Louisiana 20 80 +0,2
Barbara Mikulski, Maryland 100 0 0
(Kit Bond), Missouri 70 30 +0,7
Harry Reid, Nevada 80 20 -0,2
(Judd Gregg), New Hampshire 70 30 +0,7
Chuck Schumer, New York 100 0 0
Kirsten Gillibrand, New York Jr. 100 0 0
Richard Burr, North Carolina 30 70 +0,3
Byron Dorgan, North Dakota 100 0 0
Tim Coburn, Oklahoma 10 90 +0,1
(George Voinovich), Ohio 50 50 +0,5
Ron Wyden, Oregon 100 0 0
Arlen Specter, Pennsylvania 90 10 -0,1
Jim DeMint, South Carolina 0 100 0
John Thune, South Dakota 0 100 0
(Kay B. Hutchison), Texas 30 70 +0,3
Bob Bennett, Utah 0 100 0
Patrick Leahy, Vermont 100 0 0
Patty Murray, Washington 100 0 0
Russ Feingold, Wisconsin 100 0 0
Overall Estimate of Democratic gains: +2,6
Senate Ranking:
1. Missouri (open) -
2. New Hampshire (open) -
3. Kentucky (Bunning) -
4. Ohio (open) -
5. Connecticut (Dodd) +1
6. North Carolina (Burr) +1
7. Florida (open) -2
8. Texas (open) +2
9. Nevada (Reid) -
10. Delaware (open) +6
11. Colorado (Bennet) -3
12. Louisiana (Vitter) -1
13. Arizona (McCain) -
14. Arkansas (Lincoln) -3
15. Oklahoma (open?) new
There were a few big announcements last month, Crist's run for the Senate and Roy Cooper's decision not to do the same in North Carolina. Ironically, the North Carolina race moved up even further in my ranking, even though the likelihood of a seat change has decreased. Well... I still think that Burr is very vulnerable, and Heath Shuler is reconsidering a run. But Cooper was the Democrats' best chance of getting that seat. We have to see if there is another major development in this race. If not, it's going to drop a lot. Florida has already dropped. I think it's possible that Rubio defeats Charlie Crist in a primary, especially if he is backed by the Jeb Bush-camp (and Huckabee's evangelical support doesn't hurt either). Also, the midterm elections will give a boost to the more partisan primary candidates and their more active supporters. Still, Crist would be a heavy favorite in the general election against presumable Democratic nominee Kendrick Meek. In any case, the republican primary will be interesting to watch, it's the kind of primary we didn't get in Pennsylvania.
At the top of the ranking, everything stays the same. Carnahan is the best possible candidate in the Missouri race, no matter which Republican runs. Paul Hodes continues to be the only candidate in New Hampshire. Jim Bunning is still not retiring.... Dodd is somewhat rebounding and getting heavy boosts from Obama. Time will tell if the anti-Dodd sentiment is going to prevail. Texas moves to a new record standing, mainly because other races with a similar likelihood of change are getting less interesting, and that Texas seat is still looking like a real battle, once it is open. On the other hand, Blanche Lincoln will not face Tim Griffin, Reid and Bennet continue to poll badly but don't face serious challengers, and Chuck Grassley is not retiring either.
These minor changes in probability also affect the open race for the Delaware Senate seat - a race without any candidate at all so far! Mike Castle hasn't decided yet and might be waiting for the return of Beau Biden and his reception (Biden's standing will depend on the standing of the Obama government like noone else). No other Republican has a chance to win, and no Democrat wants to piss off the Vice President by jumping in.
I wonder if the nomination of Sotomayor is creating any trouble for Sen. McCain. I guess he has to reject her because of his anti-immigrant challenger. That would severe his relatively good ties with hispanics and make a Democratic challenge more promising. But who is going to run?
At the very end, the Oklahoma seat makes a first entrance into the ranking, but it might very well be the only appearance, since Tom Coburn is going to announce his plans for the future today. If he retires, Democrats have 2 very good candidates, but since it's Oklahoma, even that might not be enough. If Coburn doesn't retire, the seat is his.
Taken all together, the Republicans enjoy a breath of fresh air after a series of misfortunes. They can continue their good streak by recruiting Mike Castle and Bob Beauprez. However, their improved outlook comes at a price of moderation. Charlie Crist and Mike Castle would be fairly moderate Senators, voting with the Democrats maybe half of the time or so. They'd gain more support for their agenda from Delaware, but they'd lose some in Florida. And since the Democrats already have their 60 seats, these new Republican senators would merely counter the conservative Democrats Ben Nelson, Blanche Lincoln, Mark Pryor and Mary Landrieu.
If you pointed a gun at my head, I'd say that Carnahan, Hodes, Conway and Fisher flip their seats, and Castle wins the Delaware seat if he runs. The Republicans "should" be focussing on Nevada and Colorado, since they can change the partisan makeup of the Senate much more in these states than in New Hampshire or Florida (with Crist). At best (for Republicans), the 2010 elections will be a draw, with Carnahan winning in Missouri, Castle winning in Delaware, the Democrats picking up one seat ...somewhere.... (NH, OH, KT) and the Republicans also picking up one seat ...somewhere... (CO, NV, CT).
Friday, 1 May 2009
Senate predictions - May
Sigh.... busy with work at the moment... better times are going to come by June...
Anyway... lots of things happened in April. The fundraising for the first quarter has been released and Arlen Specter switched to the Democrats, sending SHOCKWAVES throughout the political world. Maybe this switch has made Jim Bunning realize that there is no space for his ego as he has apparently "endorsed" the exploratory commitee of Kentucky SoS and personal friend Trey Grayson. Grayson is more popular than Bunning, but he is just as popular as the best democratic challenger Jack Conway. So the race moves back into the toss-up category.
Also, John McCain gets a primary challenger with Chris Simcox, basically a one-issue candidacy against McCain's stance on immigration. It is a somewhat dangerous challenge, we have to see if the Republican base is just as tired of McCain as they were of Specter, that is, if the anti-incumbency mood is stronger that electoral considerations.
Specter's switch changes the situation in Pennsylvania, of course. The seat will most probably remain democratic, even if Rep. Jim Gerlach runs. However, Specter might consider supporting an amended version of EFCA or he will face serious pressure from the left and the unions. Other changes in this month's chart are related to the results of the fundraising.
Incumbent, State Dem | Rep % change for Dems
Richard Shelby, Alabama 0 100 0
Lisa Murkowski, Alaska 10 90 +0,1
John McCain, Arizona 20 80 +0,2
Blanche Lincoln, Arkansas 80 20 -0,2
Barbara Boxer, California 90 10 -0,1
Michael Bennett, Colorado 80 20 -0,2
Chris Dodd, Connecticut 60 40 -0,4
(Ted Kaufman), Delaware 90 10 -0,1
(Mel Martinez), Florida 50 50 +0,5
Johnny Isakson, Georgia 0 100 0
Daniel Inouye, Hawai'i 100 0 0
Mike Crapo, Idaho 0 100 0
(Roland Burris), Illinois 90 10 -0,1
Evan Bayh, Indiana 100 0 0
Chuck Grassley, Iowa 20 80 +0,2
(Sam Brownback), Kansas 0 100 0
Jim Bunning, Kentucky 50 50 +0,5
David Vitter, Louisiana 20 80 +0,2
Barbara Mikulski, Maryland 100 0 0
(Kit Bond), Missouri 70 30 +0,7
Harry Reid, Nevada 80 20 -0,2
(Judd Gregg), New Hampshire 70 30 +0,7
Chuck Schumer, New York 100 0 0
Kirsten Gillibrand, New York Jr. 100 0 0
Richard Burr, North Carolina 40 60 +0,4
Byron Dorgan, North Dakota 90 10 -0,1
Tim Coburn, Oklahoma 10 90 +0,1
(George Voinovich), Ohio 50 50 +0,5
Ron Wyden, Oregon 100 0 0
Arlen Specter, Pennsylvania 90 10 -0,1
Jim DeMint, South Carolina 0 100 0
John Thune, South Dakota 0 100 0
(Kay B. Hutchison), Texas 20 80 +0,2
Bob Bennett, Utah 0 100 0
Patrick Leahy, Vermont 100 0 0
Patty Murray, Washington 100 0 0
Russ Feingold, Wisconsin 100 0 0
Overall Estimate of Democratic gains: +2,8
Senate Ranking:
1. Missouri (open) +3
2. New Hampshire (open) -1
3. Kentucky (open?) -1
4. Ohio (open) +1
5. Florida (open) +1
6. Connecticut (Dodd) +1
7. North Carolina (Burr) +1
8. Colorado (Bennet) +2
9. Nevada (Reid) -
10. Texas (open) +3
11. Arkansas (Lincoln) +3
12. Louisiana (Vitter) -1
13. Arizona (McCain) new
14. Illinois (Burris) +1
15. Iowa (Grassley) -3
The ranking suffers from the contradiction between vulnerable incumbents and incumbent fundraising advantage. Incumbents like Blanche Lincoln, Harry Reid and Michael Bennet really raised a lot of money, even though they are certainly vulnerable from a polling perspective. Blanche Lincoln is probably going to have 2 republican challengers, but none of them with her fundraising powers. The same is true for Michaee Bennet, and Harry Reid doesn't even have a challenger at the moment.
Missouri moves into the top spot because of Sarah Steelman's incoming primary challenge to Matt Blunt and Blunt's disappointing fundraising numbers, especially in comparison to Robin Carnahan's result. Carnahan has to be regarded as a favorite now.
New Hampshire loses its top position because of Paul Hodes' rather bad fundraising effort. But honestly, I think it is more of a "foregone-conclusion"-effect. There is still no challenger to Hodes.
Kentucky is a pure toss-up at the moment, just like Ohio where Lee Fisher would be a small favorite, but he has a small fundraising disadvantage against Republican candidate Rob Portman. This will allow Portman to catch up in name recognition while Fisher probably has to spend some of his money to defeat or intimidate primary challenger Jennifer Brunner. The Portman/Fisher race is going to be highly competitive.
In Florida, a lot still depends on Charlie Crist. Now that the Republicans have lost their 41st seat, it is somewhat less likely that Crist still runs. And he would probably have to come out against Obama's health care proposal which is going to dominate the political scene this fall. Still, Marco Rubio is a respectable Republican candidate on his own already, even though Rep. Kendrick Meek is enjoying heavy promotion from Bill Clinton which has had a great effect on his campaign account.
North Carolina is still waiting for Roy Cooper's announcement to run for the Senate which would elevate this race into the top ranks. The same is true for the yet-nonexisting Texas race for Kai Bailey Hutchison's seat. Bill White raised a formidable amount of money making him competitive against every possible Republican challenger. But well, the wheels need to start moving first.
Anyway... lots of things happened in April. The fundraising for the first quarter has been released and Arlen Specter switched to the Democrats, sending SHOCKWAVES throughout the political world. Maybe this switch has made Jim Bunning realize that there is no space for his ego as he has apparently "endorsed" the exploratory commitee of Kentucky SoS and personal friend Trey Grayson. Grayson is more popular than Bunning, but he is just as popular as the best democratic challenger Jack Conway. So the race moves back into the toss-up category.
Also, John McCain gets a primary challenger with Chris Simcox, basically a one-issue candidacy against McCain's stance on immigration. It is a somewhat dangerous challenge, we have to see if the Republican base is just as tired of McCain as they were of Specter, that is, if the anti-incumbency mood is stronger that electoral considerations.
Specter's switch changes the situation in Pennsylvania, of course. The seat will most probably remain democratic, even if Rep. Jim Gerlach runs. However, Specter might consider supporting an amended version of EFCA or he will face serious pressure from the left and the unions. Other changes in this month's chart are related to the results of the fundraising.
Incumbent, State Dem | Rep % change for Dems
Richard Shelby, Alabama 0 100 0
Lisa Murkowski, Alaska 10 90 +0,1
John McCain, Arizona 20 80 +0,2
Blanche Lincoln, Arkansas 80 20 -0,2
Barbara Boxer, California 90 10 -0,1
Michael Bennett, Colorado 80 20 -0,2
Chris Dodd, Connecticut 60 40 -0,4
(Ted Kaufman), Delaware 90 10 -0,1
(Mel Martinez), Florida 50 50 +0,5
Johnny Isakson, Georgia 0 100 0
Daniel Inouye, Hawai'i 100 0 0
Mike Crapo, Idaho 0 100 0
(Roland Burris), Illinois 90 10 -0,1
Evan Bayh, Indiana 100 0 0
Chuck Grassley, Iowa 20 80 +0,2
(Sam Brownback), Kansas 0 100 0
Jim Bunning, Kentucky 50 50 +0,5
David Vitter, Louisiana 20 80 +0,2
Barbara Mikulski, Maryland 100 0 0
(Kit Bond), Missouri 70 30 +0,7
Harry Reid, Nevada 80 20 -0,2
(Judd Gregg), New Hampshire 70 30 +0,7
Chuck Schumer, New York 100 0 0
Kirsten Gillibrand, New York Jr. 100 0 0
Richard Burr, North Carolina 40 60 +0,4
Byron Dorgan, North Dakota 90 10 -0,1
Tim Coburn, Oklahoma 10 90 +0,1
(George Voinovich), Ohio 50 50 +0,5
Ron Wyden, Oregon 100 0 0
Arlen Specter, Pennsylvania 90 10 -0,1
Jim DeMint, South Carolina 0 100 0
John Thune, South Dakota 0 100 0
(Kay B. Hutchison), Texas 20 80 +0,2
Bob Bennett, Utah 0 100 0
Patrick Leahy, Vermont 100 0 0
Patty Murray, Washington 100 0 0
Russ Feingold, Wisconsin 100 0 0
Overall Estimate of Democratic gains: +2,8
Senate Ranking:
1. Missouri (open) +3
2. New Hampshire (open) -1
3. Kentucky (open?) -1
4. Ohio (open) +1
5. Florida (open) +1
6. Connecticut (Dodd) +1
7. North Carolina (Burr) +1
8. Colorado (Bennet) +2
9. Nevada (Reid) -
10. Texas (open) +3
11. Arkansas (Lincoln) +3
12. Louisiana (Vitter) -1
13. Arizona (McCain) new
14. Illinois (Burris) +1
15. Iowa (Grassley) -3
The ranking suffers from the contradiction between vulnerable incumbents and incumbent fundraising advantage. Incumbents like Blanche Lincoln, Harry Reid and Michael Bennet really raised a lot of money, even though they are certainly vulnerable from a polling perspective. Blanche Lincoln is probably going to have 2 republican challengers, but none of them with her fundraising powers. The same is true for Michaee Bennet, and Harry Reid doesn't even have a challenger at the moment.
Missouri moves into the top spot because of Sarah Steelman's incoming primary challenge to Matt Blunt and Blunt's disappointing fundraising numbers, especially in comparison to Robin Carnahan's result. Carnahan has to be regarded as a favorite now.
New Hampshire loses its top position because of Paul Hodes' rather bad fundraising effort. But honestly, I think it is more of a "foregone-conclusion"-effect. There is still no challenger to Hodes.
Kentucky is a pure toss-up at the moment, just like Ohio where Lee Fisher would be a small favorite, but he has a small fundraising disadvantage against Republican candidate Rob Portman. This will allow Portman to catch up in name recognition while Fisher probably has to spend some of his money to defeat or intimidate primary challenger Jennifer Brunner. The Portman/Fisher race is going to be highly competitive.
In Florida, a lot still depends on Charlie Crist. Now that the Republicans have lost their 41st seat, it is somewhat less likely that Crist still runs. And he would probably have to come out against Obama's health care proposal which is going to dominate the political scene this fall. Still, Marco Rubio is a respectable Republican candidate on his own already, even though Rep. Kendrick Meek is enjoying heavy promotion from Bill Clinton which has had a great effect on his campaign account.
North Carolina is still waiting for Roy Cooper's announcement to run for the Senate which would elevate this race into the top ranks. The same is true for the yet-nonexisting Texas race for Kai Bailey Hutchison's seat. Bill White raised a formidable amount of money making him competitive against every possible Republican challenger. But well, the wheels need to start moving first.
Thursday, 2 April 2009
I didn't have a lot of time in the past 3 weeks, I'll try to post more frequently in the future. Anyway, here's the updated list:
Incumbent, State Dem | Rep % change for Dems
Richard Shelby, Alabama 0 100 0
Lisa Murkowski, Alaska 10 90 +0,1
John McCain, Arizona 10 90 +0,1
Blanche Lincoln, Arkansas 80 20 -0,2
Barbara Boxer, California 90 10 -0,1
Michael Bennett, Colorado 80 20 -0,2
Chris Dodd, Connecticut 60 40 -0,4
(Ted Kaufman), Delaware 90 10 -0,1
(Mel Martinez), Florida 50 50 +0,5
Johnny Isakson, Georgia 0 100 0
Daniel Inouye, Hawai'i 100 0 0
Mike Crapo, Idaho 0 100 0
(Roland Burris), Illinois 90 10 -0,1
Evan Bayh, Indiana 100 0 0
Chuck Grassley, Iowa 20 80 +0,2
(Sam Brownback), Kansas 0 100 0
Jim Bunning, Kentucky 60 40 +0,6
David Vitter, Louisiana 20 80 +0,2
Barbara Mikulski, Maryland 100 0 0
(Kit Bond), Missouri 60 40 +0,6
Harry Reid, Nevada 80 20 -0,2
(Bonnie Newman), New Hampshire 70 30 +0,7
Chuck Schumer, New York 100 0 0
Kirsten Gillibrand, New York Jr. 100 0 0
Richard Burr, North Carolina 40 60 +0,4
Byron Dorgan, North Dakota 90 10 -0,1
Tim Coburn, Oklahoma 0 100 0
(George Voinovich), Ohio 50 50 +0,5
Ron Wyden, Oregon 100 0 0
Arlen Specter, Pennsylvania 60 40 +0,6
Jim DeMint, South Carolina 0 100 0
John Thune, South Dakota 0 100 0
(Kay B. Hutchison), Texas 20 80 +0,2
Bob Bennett, Utah 0 100 0
Patrick Leahy, Vermont 100 0 0
Patty Murray, Washington 100 0 0
Russ Feingold, Wisconsin 100 0 0
Overall Estimate of Democratic gains: +3,3
Some new polls have changed the situation slightly. Chris Dodd is in serious trouble against Rob Simmons. A seat in Connecticut is something the Democrats can't afford to lose, especially since there are enough possible contenders to replace Dodd. If he runs in the general, he will have to rely on people's short memories and the support of the Democratic machine - not impossible, but very hard. Arlen Specter is poised to lose the primary at the moment and the campaigns have already begun with Specter's first anti-Toomey ad. I also think that Specter's rejection of EFCA is not going to help his chances in a general election, so the seat might be slipping out of the Republicans' hands.
In New Hampshire, Paul Hodes leads in a hypothetical matchup against his strongest opponent, ex-Senator John Sununu (almost a quasi-incumbent). It is looking really good for him. Jim Bunning's situation remains essentially unchanged and pessimistic. Richard Burr shows signs of vulnerability. His approval rating is below 50%. The strongest Democratic challenger, Roy Cooper, would have a good chance at beating him, but he needs to enter first. Even if he doesn't, Burr will have to fight for his reelection.
Senate Ranking
1. New Hampshire (open) -
2. Kentucky (Bunning) -
3. Pennsylvania (Specter) +5
4. Missouri (open) -1
5. Ohio (open) -1
6. Florida (open) -1
7. Connecticut (Dodd) +5
8. North Carolina (Burr) -2
9. Nevada (Reid) -1
10. Colorado (Bennett) -1
11. Louisiana (Vitter) -1
12. Iowa (Grassley) -1
13. (Texas - open) -
14. Arkansas (Lincoln) -
15. Illinois (Burris) -
Incumbent, State Dem | Rep % change for Dems
Richard Shelby, Alabama 0 100 0
Lisa Murkowski, Alaska 10 90 +0,1
John McCain, Arizona 10 90 +0,1
Blanche Lincoln, Arkansas 80 20 -0,2
Barbara Boxer, California 90 10 -0,1
Michael Bennett, Colorado 80 20 -0,2
Chris Dodd, Connecticut 60 40 -0,4
(Ted Kaufman), Delaware 90 10 -0,1
(Mel Martinez), Florida 50 50 +0,5
Johnny Isakson, Georgia 0 100 0
Daniel Inouye, Hawai'i 100 0 0
Mike Crapo, Idaho 0 100 0
(Roland Burris), Illinois 90 10 -0,1
Evan Bayh, Indiana 100 0 0
Chuck Grassley, Iowa 20 80 +0,2
(Sam Brownback), Kansas 0 100 0
Jim Bunning, Kentucky 60 40 +0,6
David Vitter, Louisiana 20 80 +0,2
Barbara Mikulski, Maryland 100 0 0
(Kit Bond), Missouri 60 40 +0,6
Harry Reid, Nevada 80 20 -0,2
(Bonnie Newman), New Hampshire 70 30 +0,7
Chuck Schumer, New York 100 0 0
Kirsten Gillibrand, New York Jr. 100 0 0
Richard Burr, North Carolina 40 60 +0,4
Byron Dorgan, North Dakota 90 10 -0,1
Tim Coburn, Oklahoma 0 100 0
(George Voinovich), Ohio 50 50 +0,5
Ron Wyden, Oregon 100 0 0
Arlen Specter, Pennsylvania 60 40 +0,6
Jim DeMint, South Carolina 0 100 0
John Thune, South Dakota 0 100 0
(Kay B. Hutchison), Texas 20 80 +0,2
Bob Bennett, Utah 0 100 0
Patrick Leahy, Vermont 100 0 0
Patty Murray, Washington 100 0 0
Russ Feingold, Wisconsin 100 0 0
Overall Estimate of Democratic gains: +3,3
Some new polls have changed the situation slightly. Chris Dodd is in serious trouble against Rob Simmons. A seat in Connecticut is something the Democrats can't afford to lose, especially since there are enough possible contenders to replace Dodd. If he runs in the general, he will have to rely on people's short memories and the support of the Democratic machine - not impossible, but very hard. Arlen Specter is poised to lose the primary at the moment and the campaigns have already begun with Specter's first anti-Toomey ad. I also think that Specter's rejection of EFCA is not going to help his chances in a general election, so the seat might be slipping out of the Republicans' hands.
In New Hampshire, Paul Hodes leads in a hypothetical matchup against his strongest opponent, ex-Senator John Sununu (almost a quasi-incumbent). It is looking really good for him. Jim Bunning's situation remains essentially unchanged and pessimistic. Richard Burr shows signs of vulnerability. His approval rating is below 50%. The strongest Democratic challenger, Roy Cooper, would have a good chance at beating him, but he needs to enter first. Even if he doesn't, Burr will have to fight for his reelection.
Senate Ranking
1. New Hampshire (open) -
2. Kentucky (Bunning) -
3. Pennsylvania (Specter) +5
4. Missouri (open) -1
5. Ohio (open) -1
6. Florida (open) -1
7. Connecticut (Dodd) +5
8. North Carolina (Burr) -2
9. Nevada (Reid) -1
10. Colorado (Bennett) -1
11. Louisiana (Vitter) -1
12. Iowa (Grassley) -1
13. (Texas - open) -
14. Arkansas (Lincoln) -
15. Illinois (Burris) -
Saturday, 28 February 2009
Senate predictions - March
I plan to update my predictions as close as possible to the 1st day of a new month.
Incumbent, State Dem | Rep % change for Dems
Richard Shelby, Alabama 0 100 0
Lisa Murkowski, Alaska 10 90 +0,1
John McCain, Arizona 10 90 +0,1
Blanche Lincoln, Arkansas 80 20 -0,2
Barbara Boxer, California 90 10 -0,1
Michael Bennett, Colorado 80 20 -0,2
Chris Dodd, Connecticut 80 20 -0,2
(Ted Kaufman), Delaware 90 10 -0,1
(Mel Martinez), Florida 50 50 +0,5
Johnny Isakson, Georgia 0 100 0
Daniel Inouye, Hawai'i 90 10 -0,1
Mike Crapo, Idaho 0 100 0
(Roland Burris), Illinois 90 10 -0,1
Evan Bayh, Indiana 100 0 0
Chuck Grassley, Iowa 20 80 +0,2
(Sam Brownback), Kansas 0 100 0
Jim Bunning, Kentucky 60 40 +0,6
David Vitter, Louisiana 20 80 +0,2
Barbara Mikulski, Maryland 100 0 0
(Kit Bond), Missouri 60 40 +0,6
Harry Reid, Nevada 80 20 -0,2
(Bonnie Newman), New Hampshire 60 40 +0,6
Chuck Schumer, New York 100 0 0
Kirsten Gillibrand, New York Jr. 100 0 0
Richard Burr, North Carolina 30 70 +0,3
Byron Dorgan, North Dakota 90 10 -0,1
Tim Coburn, Oklahoma 0 100 0
(George Voinovich), Ohio 50 50 +0,5
Ron Wyden, Oregon 100 0 0
Arlen Specter, Pennsylvania 30 70 +0,3
Jim DeMint, South Carolina 0 100 0
John Thune, South Dakota 0 100 0
(Kay B. Hutchison), Texas 20 80 +0,2
Bob Bennett, Utah 0 100 0
Patrick Leahy, Vermont 100 0 0
Patty Murray, Washington 100 0 0
Russ Feingold, Wisconsin 100 0 0
Overall Estimate of Democratic gains: +2,9
Senate Ranking (after stimulus bill compromise)
1. New Hampshire (open) -
2. Kentucky (Bunning) +2
3. Missouri (open) -1
4. Ohio (open) -1
5. Florida (open) -
6. North Carolina (Burr) +2
7. Pennsylvania (Specter) +2
8. Nevada (Reid) -2
9. Colorado (Bennett) -
10. Louisiana (Vitter) new
11. Iowa (Grassley) -
12. Connecticut (Dodd) new
13. (Texas - open) new
14. Arkansas (Lincoln) new
15. Illinois (Burris) -2
Incumbent, State Dem | Rep % change for Dems
Richard Shelby, Alabama 0 100 0
Lisa Murkowski, Alaska 10 90 +0,1
John McCain, Arizona 10 90 +0,1
Blanche Lincoln, Arkansas 80 20 -0,2
Barbara Boxer, California 90 10 -0,1
Michael Bennett, Colorado 80 20 -0,2
Chris Dodd, Connecticut 80 20 -0,2
(Ted Kaufman), Delaware 90 10 -0,1
(Mel Martinez), Florida 50 50 +0,5
Johnny Isakson, Georgia 0 100 0
Daniel Inouye, Hawai'i 90 10 -0,1
Mike Crapo, Idaho 0 100 0
(Roland Burris), Illinois 90 10 -0,1
Evan Bayh, Indiana 100 0 0
Chuck Grassley, Iowa 20 80 +0,2
(Sam Brownback), Kansas 0 100 0
Jim Bunning, Kentucky 60 40 +0,6
David Vitter, Louisiana 20 80 +0,2
Barbara Mikulski, Maryland 100 0 0
(Kit Bond), Missouri 60 40 +0,6
Harry Reid, Nevada 80 20 -0,2
(Bonnie Newman), New Hampshire 60 40 +0,6
Chuck Schumer, New York 100 0 0
Kirsten Gillibrand, New York Jr. 100 0 0
Richard Burr, North Carolina 30 70 +0,3
Byron Dorgan, North Dakota 90 10 -0,1
Tim Coburn, Oklahoma 0 100 0
(George Voinovich), Ohio 50 50 +0,5
Ron Wyden, Oregon 100 0 0
Arlen Specter, Pennsylvania 30 70 +0,3
Jim DeMint, South Carolina 0 100 0
John Thune, South Dakota 0 100 0
(Kay B. Hutchison), Texas 20 80 +0,2
Bob Bennett, Utah 0 100 0
Patrick Leahy, Vermont 100 0 0
Patty Murray, Washington 100 0 0
Russ Feingold, Wisconsin 100 0 0
Overall Estimate of Democratic gains: +2,9
I just heard the news of Kathleen Sebelius nomination. That makes the Kansas seat completely safe for the GOP. A Dorgan vs. Hoeven match in North Dakota is also getting unlikely. A recent R2000 poll showed that Dorgan would beat Hoeven by a mile, not because Hoeven is unpopular, but because North Dakotans want him to stay right where he is, in the governor's mansion. I had almost lowered Bunning's chances to 30% after his kamikaze threat, but I am not quite there yet. Still, Bunning is essentially bankrupt and unpopular (and erratic). If things don't change it's looking pretty grim for him and the Republicans that cannot put up a primary challenger if they want to keep their 41st seat. Actually, barring a major change of trajectory, the seats in Kentucky and New Hampshire are moving into Democratic territory (because the Republicans don't have a first-tier candidate that could face their opponent. Missouri is a different case, by the way.) and I will gradually change my projection.
I also made some other changes, caused by the vote on Obama's stimulus bill and the decreasing chance that some of these candidates have to face credible primary challengers (Lincoln, Burr), so the ranking and the probability is synchronized again. Oh, and it seems that David Vitter is going to have a relatively hard time. There are rumors of a (serious) primary challenge, of a credible democratic challenger, and of course Stormy Daniels.
Although the trouble doesn't end for Roland Burris, the seat in Illinois is looking very safe for the Democrats, now that Obama's basketball pal Alexi Giannoulias has announced his bid for the seat.
I also made some other changes, caused by the vote on Obama's stimulus bill and the decreasing chance that some of these candidates have to face credible primary challengers (Lincoln, Burr), so the ranking and the probability is synchronized again. Oh, and it seems that David Vitter is going to have a relatively hard time. There are rumors of a (serious) primary challenge, of a credible democratic challenger, and of course Stormy Daniels.
Although the trouble doesn't end for Roland Burris, the seat in Illinois is looking very safe for the Democrats, now that Obama's basketball pal Alexi Giannoulias has announced his bid for the seat.
Senate Ranking (after stimulus bill compromise)
1. New Hampshire (open) -
2. Kentucky (Bunning) +2
3. Missouri (open) -1
4. Ohio (open) -1
5. Florida (open) -
6. North Carolina (Burr) +2
7. Pennsylvania (Specter) +2
8. Nevada (Reid) -2
9. Colorado (Bennett) -
10. Louisiana (Vitter) new
11. Iowa (Grassley) -
12. Connecticut (Dodd) new
13. (Texas - open) new
14. Arkansas (Lincoln) new
15. Illinois (Burris) -2
Friday, 6 February 2009
Senate Stimulus Bill - vote calculation
Just an experiment... it's the second edition of the calculation.
Safe Democratic "yea" votes: 53
Likelihood of "yea" on Democratic side:
Evan Bayh: 80%
Blanche Lincoln: 90%
Ben Nelson: 70%
Jon Tester: 90%
Al Franken (not there
)
Ted Kennedy: 80% (abstain 20%)
Total: 4,1 votes = 57,1 votes
Safe Republican "nay" votes: 33
Likelihood of "nay" on Republican side:
Jim Bunning: 90% (abstain: 10%)
Susan Collins: 50% (abstain: 10%)
Judd Gregg: 0% (abstain 100%)
Lisa Murkowski: 90%
Olympia Snowe: 30%
Arlen Specter: 60%
George Voinovich: 70%
Kai Bailey Hutchison: 90%
Total: 4,8 votes = 37,8
Possible democratic "nay" votes: 0,7 (37,8 + 0,7 = 38,5)
Possible republican "yea" votes: 1,8 (57,1 + 1,8 = 58,9)
Result: 59-39, 1 abstain + Al Franken not seated
Safe Democratic "yea" votes: 53
Likelihood of "yea" on Democratic side:
Evan Bayh: 80%
Blanche Lincoln: 90%
Ben Nelson: 70%
Jon Tester: 90%
Al Franken (not there
)Ted Kennedy: 80% (abstain 20%)
Total: 4,1 votes = 57,1 votes
Safe Republican "nay" votes: 33
Likelihood of "nay" on Republican side:
Jim Bunning: 90% (abstain: 10%)
Susan Collins: 50% (abstain: 10%)
Judd Gregg: 0% (abstain 100%)
Lisa Murkowski: 90%
Olympia Snowe: 30%
Arlen Specter: 60%
George Voinovich: 70%
Kai Bailey Hutchison: 90%
Total: 4,8 votes = 37,8
Possible democratic "nay" votes: 0,7 (37,8 + 0,7 = 38,5)
Possible republican "yea" votes: 1,8 (57,1 + 1,8 = 58,9)
Result: 59-39, 1 abstain + Al Franken not seated
Tuesday, 3 February 2009
US Senate Predictions - February
February edition.
A few changes: Michael Bennett will not face the strongest Republican challenger, making his seat almost safe.
Kirsten Gillibrand is a perfect pick in my opinion. She will recieve enough support from the Democratic leadership to fend off a primary challenge and Republicans will have no chance to beat her.
Harry Reid's weakness was just momentarily. His seat would be endangered if Reid's leadership were a serious failure, a failure extending beyond technicalities only partisans care about. Seriously, the more boring Reid appears, the less people will care about anything he does. And let's face it, Obama won Nevada by 14%. Anyway, my prediction changed from 70:30 to 80:20, it could be even better for him in a few months.
The biggest change happened in New Hampshire. It seems that moderate Republican Bonnie Newman is going to replace Judd Gregg. She does not intend to run in 2010, making it an open seat. There is just one Republican left who has got a serious chance against Carol Shea-Porter or Paul Hodes, that is John Sununu who just lost against Jeanne Shaheen. Not promising. Paul Hodes is said to announce his candidacy in a week. If that happens, and if there is no primary, Hodes is the clear favorite, making this seat the biggest pick-up chance of the cycle.
Incumbent, State Dem | Rep % change for Dems
Richard Shelby, Alabama 0 100 0
Lisa Murkowski, Alaska 10 90 +0,1
John McCain, Arizona 10 90 +0,1
Blanche Lincoln, Arkansas 70 30 -0,3
Barbara Boxer, California 90 10 -0,1
Michael Bennett, Colorado 80 20 -0,2
Chris Dodd, Connecticut 90 10 -0,1
(Ted Kaufman), Delaware 90 10 -0,1
(Mel Martinez), Florida 50 50 +0,5
Johnny Isakson, Georgia 0 100 0
Daniel Inouye, Hawai'i 90 10 -0,1
Mike Crapo, Idaho 0 100 0
(Roland Burris), Illinois 10 90 -0,1
Evan Bayh, Indiana 100 0 0
Chuck Grassley, Iowa 20 80 +0,2
(Sam Brownback), Kansas 30 70 +0,3
Jim Bunning, Kentucky 50 50 +0,5
David Vitter, Louisiana 20 80 +0,2
Barbara Mikulski, Maryland 100 0 0
(Kit Bond), Missouri 60 40 +0,6
Harry Reid, Nevada 80 20 -0,2
(Bonnie Newman), New Hampshire 60 40 +0,6
Chuck Schumer, New York 100 0 0
Kirsten Gillibrand, New York Jr. 100 0 0
Richard Burr, North Carolina 40 60 +0,4
Byron Dorgan, North Dakota 80 20 -0,2
Tim Coburn, Oklahoma 100 0 0
(George Voinovich), Ohio 50 50 +0,5
Ron Wyden, Oregon 100 0 0
Arlen Specter, Pennsylvania 50 50 +0,5
Jim DeMint, South Carolina 0 100 0
John Thune, South Dakota 0 100 0
(Kay B. Hutchison), Texas 20 80 +0,2
Bob Bennett, Utah 0 100 0
Patrick Leahy, Vermont 100 0 0
Patty Murray, Washington 100 0 0
Russ Feingold, Wisconsin 100 0 0
Overall Estimate of Democratic gains: +3,3
We still need basic information about:
whether Kathleen Sebelius is going to run in Kansas
whether Kay Bailey Hutchison is going to run for governor in Texas (Sarah Palin just endorsed incumbent Perry. Is this a move to keep Hutchison in the Senate?)
whether John Hoeven is going to run against Byron Dorgan, and it gets less likely with each day
whether Blanche Lincoln is going to face a credible opponent.
whether Roy Blunt wins the Republican primary in Missouri, pulling the race back to a toss-up.
whether Charlie Crist is going to run for the seat in Florida... I really can't imagine this to happen
Next month we might also be able to put a few of those 90% races into the 100% column. Many of these races contain a certain chance of a primary challenge against a popular incumbent or potential health problems. Candidacies are usually announced in February or March of the off-cycle year.
Senate Ranking (after stimulus bill compromise)
1. New Hampshire (open)
2. Missouri (open)
3. Ohio (open)
4. Kentucky (Bunning)
5. Florida (open)
6. Nevada (Reid)
7. Kansas (open)
8. North Carolina (Burr)
9. Colorado (Bennett)
10. Pennsylvania (Specter)
11. Iowa (Grassley)
12. Arizona (McCain)
13. Illinois (Burris)
A few changes: Michael Bennett will not face the strongest Republican challenger, making his seat almost safe.
Kirsten Gillibrand is a perfect pick in my opinion. She will recieve enough support from the Democratic leadership to fend off a primary challenge and Republicans will have no chance to beat her.
Harry Reid's weakness was just momentarily. His seat would be endangered if Reid's leadership were a serious failure, a failure extending beyond technicalities only partisans care about. Seriously, the more boring Reid appears, the less people will care about anything he does. And let's face it, Obama won Nevada by 14%. Anyway, my prediction changed from 70:30 to 80:20, it could be even better for him in a few months.
The biggest change happened in New Hampshire. It seems that moderate Republican Bonnie Newman is going to replace Judd Gregg. She does not intend to run in 2010, making it an open seat. There is just one Republican left who has got a serious chance against Carol Shea-Porter or Paul Hodes, that is John Sununu who just lost against Jeanne Shaheen. Not promising. Paul Hodes is said to announce his candidacy in a week. If that happens, and if there is no primary, Hodes is the clear favorite, making this seat the biggest pick-up chance of the cycle.
Incumbent, State Dem | Rep % change for Dems
Richard Shelby, Alabama 0 100 0
Lisa Murkowski, Alaska 10 90 +0,1
John McCain, Arizona 10 90 +0,1
Blanche Lincoln, Arkansas 70 30 -0,3
Barbara Boxer, California 90 10 -0,1
Michael Bennett, Colorado 80 20 -0,2
Chris Dodd, Connecticut 90 10 -0,1
(Ted Kaufman), Delaware 90 10 -0,1
(Mel Martinez), Florida 50 50 +0,5
Johnny Isakson, Georgia 0 100 0
Daniel Inouye, Hawai'i 90 10 -0,1
Mike Crapo, Idaho 0 100 0
(Roland Burris), Illinois 10 90 -0,1
Evan Bayh, Indiana 100 0 0
Chuck Grassley, Iowa 20 80 +0,2
(Sam Brownback), Kansas 30 70 +0,3
Jim Bunning, Kentucky 50 50 +0,5
David Vitter, Louisiana 20 80 +0,2
Barbara Mikulski, Maryland 100 0 0
(Kit Bond), Missouri 60 40 +0,6
Harry Reid, Nevada 80 20 -0,2
(Bonnie Newman), New Hampshire 60 40 +0,6
Chuck Schumer, New York 100 0 0
Kirsten Gillibrand, New York Jr. 100 0 0
Richard Burr, North Carolina 40 60 +0,4
Byron Dorgan, North Dakota 80 20 -0,2
Tim Coburn, Oklahoma 100 0 0
(George Voinovich), Ohio 50 50 +0,5
Ron Wyden, Oregon 100 0 0
Arlen Specter, Pennsylvania 50 50 +0,5
Jim DeMint, South Carolina 0 100 0
John Thune, South Dakota 0 100 0
(Kay B. Hutchison), Texas 20 80 +0,2
Bob Bennett, Utah 0 100 0
Patrick Leahy, Vermont 100 0 0
Patty Murray, Washington 100 0 0
Russ Feingold, Wisconsin 100 0 0
Overall Estimate of Democratic gains: +3,3
We still need basic information about:
whether Kathleen Sebelius is going to run in Kansas
whether Kay Bailey Hutchison is going to run for governor in Texas (Sarah Palin just endorsed incumbent Perry. Is this a move to keep Hutchison in the Senate?)
whether John Hoeven is going to run against Byron Dorgan, and it gets less likely with each day
whether Blanche Lincoln is going to face a credible opponent.
whether Roy Blunt wins the Republican primary in Missouri, pulling the race back to a toss-up.
whether Charlie Crist is going to run for the seat in Florida... I really can't imagine this to happen
Next month we might also be able to put a few of those 90% races into the 100% column. Many of these races contain a certain chance of a primary challenge against a popular incumbent or potential health problems. Candidacies are usually announced in February or March of the off-cycle year.
Senate Ranking (after stimulus bill compromise)
1. New Hampshire (open)
2. Missouri (open)
3. Ohio (open)
4. Kentucky (Bunning)
5. Florida (open)
6. Nevada (Reid)
7. Kansas (open)
8. North Carolina (Burr)
9. Colorado (Bennett)
10. Pennsylvania (Specter)
11. Iowa (Grassley)
12. Arizona (McCain)
13. Illinois (Burris)
Tuesday, 13 January 2009
US Senate predictions - January
Here's a first outlook at the upcoming US senate elections of 2010.
Since it's extremely early to do this, I will just give a rough estimate on the probability of each seat to go to either the Democrats or the Republicans. I will do this in steps of 10 percent - 90:10, 80:20 etc.... This probability then translates into a decimal gain or loss of seats for the Democrats. For example, a republican seat with a probability of 80% to stay in the republican column still means a 0,2 seat gain for the Democrats. At this stage of the cycle my result just gives a general outlook on the structural possibilities of the parties. Several races could still change fundamentally if a single outstanding politician makes a decision to either join the race or retires. For example, the Iowa seat currently occupied by Chuck Grassley is a safe republican seat, as long as Chuck Grassley doesn't retire. He still might do this though, and all of a sudden, the Democrats would have a very good pick-up opportunity.
Anyway, here are my estimates:
Incumbent, State Dem | Rep % change for Dems
Richard Shelby, Alabama 0 100 0
Lisa Murkowski, Alaska 10 90 +0,1
John McCain, Arizona 10 90 +0,1
Blanche Lincoln, Arkansas 70 30 -0,3
Barbara Boxer, California 90 10 -0,1
Michael Bennett, Colorado 60 40 -0,4
Chris Dodd, Connecticut 90 10 -0,1
(Ted Kaufman), Delaware 90 10 -0,1
(Mel Martinez), Florida 50 50 +0,5
Johnny Isakson, Georgia 0 100 0
Daniel Inouye, Hawai'i 90 10 -0,1
Mike Crapo, Idaho 0 100 0
(Roland Burris), Illinois 10 90 -0,1
Evan Bayh, Indiana 100 0 0
Chuck Grassley, Iowa 20 80 +0,2
(Sam Brownback), Kansas 30 70 +0,3
Jim Bunning, Kentucky 50 50 +0,5
David Vitter, Louisiana 20 80 +0,2
Barbara Mikulski, Maryland 100 0 0
(Kit Bond), Missouri 60 40 +0,6
Harry Reid, Nevada 70 30 -0,3
Judd Gregg, New Hampshire 30 70 +0,3
Chuck Schumer, New York 100 0 0
(???), New York Jr. 90 10 -0,1
Richard Burr, North Carolina 40 60 +0,4
Byron Dorgan, North Dakota 80 20 -0,2
Tim Coburn, Oklahoma 100 0 0
(George Voinovich), Ohio 50 50 +0,5
Ron Wyden, Oregon 100 0 0
Arlen Specter, Pennsylvania 50 50 +0,5
Jim DeMint, South Carolina 0 100 0
John Thune, South Dakota 0 100 0
(Kay B. Hutchison), Texas 20 80 +0,2
Bob Bennett, Utah 0 100 0
Patrick Leahy, Vermont 100 0 0
Patty Murray, Washington 100 0 0
Russ Feingold, Wisconsin 100 0 0
Overall Estimate of Democratic gains: +2,6
A few comments:
- We still need to hear from a few politicians and their plans for the cycle. They are: Mike Huckabee in Arkansas, Chuck Grassley in Iowa, Kathleen Sebelius in Kansas, Mitch Landrieu in Louisiana, John Hoeven in North Dakota and Kay Bailey Hutchison in Texas. These people have a tremendous effect on the race in their state in the sense that their decision to run or not to run can flip a seat. Sen. Hutchison is a special case because her "retirement" to run for Governor would trigger the special election that would give the Democrats a fair chance to get the seat.
- Polling has just started and the estimates will soon change. I already had to adjust my estimate for North Carolina because of the vulnerability of Sen. Burr. Once again, my estimate can only demonstrate the structural problems of the Republicans, who are hurt by the retirements and their slightly higher number of seats to defend. The polls will soon show how the national climate effects the elections.
- Although my estimate is looking good for the Democrats, there is just one seat more likely to change party than not, Missouri. It could still be possible that we don't have any changes at all. On the other hand, the Democrats will be very happy with "only" 60-61 seats, and that result is a very likely one.
Since it's extremely early to do this, I will just give a rough estimate on the probability of each seat to go to either the Democrats or the Republicans. I will do this in steps of 10 percent - 90:10, 80:20 etc.... This probability then translates into a decimal gain or loss of seats for the Democrats. For example, a republican seat with a probability of 80% to stay in the republican column still means a 0,2 seat gain for the Democrats. At this stage of the cycle my result just gives a general outlook on the structural possibilities of the parties. Several races could still change fundamentally if a single outstanding politician makes a decision to either join the race or retires. For example, the Iowa seat currently occupied by Chuck Grassley is a safe republican seat, as long as Chuck Grassley doesn't retire. He still might do this though, and all of a sudden, the Democrats would have a very good pick-up opportunity.
Anyway, here are my estimates:
Incumbent, State Dem | Rep % change for Dems
Richard Shelby, Alabama 0 100 0
Lisa Murkowski, Alaska 10 90 +0,1
John McCain, Arizona 10 90 +0,1
Blanche Lincoln, Arkansas 70 30 -0,3
Barbara Boxer, California 90 10 -0,1
Michael Bennett, Colorado 60 40 -0,4
Chris Dodd, Connecticut 90 10 -0,1
(Ted Kaufman), Delaware 90 10 -0,1
(Mel Martinez), Florida 50 50 +0,5
Johnny Isakson, Georgia 0 100 0
Daniel Inouye, Hawai'i 90 10 -0,1
Mike Crapo, Idaho 0 100 0
(Roland Burris), Illinois 10 90 -0,1
Evan Bayh, Indiana 100 0 0
Chuck Grassley, Iowa 20 80 +0,2
(Sam Brownback), Kansas 30 70 +0,3
Jim Bunning, Kentucky 50 50 +0,5
David Vitter, Louisiana 20 80 +0,2
Barbara Mikulski, Maryland 100 0 0
(Kit Bond), Missouri 60 40 +0,6
Harry Reid, Nevada 70 30 -0,3
Judd Gregg, New Hampshire 30 70 +0,3
Chuck Schumer, New York 100 0 0
(???), New York Jr. 90 10 -0,1
Richard Burr, North Carolina 40 60 +0,4
Byron Dorgan, North Dakota 80 20 -0,2
Tim Coburn, Oklahoma 100 0 0
(George Voinovich), Ohio 50 50 +0,5
Ron Wyden, Oregon 100 0 0
Arlen Specter, Pennsylvania 50 50 +0,5
Jim DeMint, South Carolina 0 100 0
John Thune, South Dakota 0 100 0
(Kay B. Hutchison), Texas 20 80 +0,2
Bob Bennett, Utah 0 100 0
Patrick Leahy, Vermont 100 0 0
Patty Murray, Washington 100 0 0
Russ Feingold, Wisconsin 100 0 0
Overall Estimate of Democratic gains: +2,6
A few comments:
- We still need to hear from a few politicians and their plans for the cycle. They are: Mike Huckabee in Arkansas, Chuck Grassley in Iowa, Kathleen Sebelius in Kansas, Mitch Landrieu in Louisiana, John Hoeven in North Dakota and Kay Bailey Hutchison in Texas. These people have a tremendous effect on the race in their state in the sense that their decision to run or not to run can flip a seat. Sen. Hutchison is a special case because her "retirement" to run for Governor would trigger the special election that would give the Democrats a fair chance to get the seat.
- Polling has just started and the estimates will soon change. I already had to adjust my estimate for North Carolina because of the vulnerability of Sen. Burr. Once again, my estimate can only demonstrate the structural problems of the Republicans, who are hurt by the retirements and their slightly higher number of seats to defend. The polls will soon show how the national climate effects the elections.
- Although my estimate is looking good for the Democrats, there is just one seat more likely to change party than not, Missouri. It could still be possible that we don't have any changes at all. On the other hand, the Democrats will be very happy with "only" 60-61 seats, and that result is a very likely one.
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