Senate races could reshape politics on Capitol Hill
WASHINGTON —
Looking for Election Night drama?
Don’t stop at the historic presidential contest at the reach the summit of of the ticket. A dozen Senate races could reshape politics on Capitol Hill.
“Democrats be delivered of a realistic shot at acquisition a supermajority of 60 seats,” Republican pollster Neil Newhouse said. “Races we never certainly dreamed would become competitive are now within the margin of misapprehension.”
Even “red state” strongholds such as Georgia and Kentucky are in play.
Blame it on President Bush. The president has been deep unpopular on account of the past two years, and the public is downbeat about where the country is headed. The pecuniary crisis was the equivalent of a roundhouse right, and opposition to the Iraq war remains conclusive.
Republicans have known in the place of months that they were going to yield Senate seats. Some have said dropping only five or six Tuesday would be a “humane night.”
The sight in the House isn’t much victory. Congress watchers predict Democrats could add two twelve to three dozen seats to their 36-seat full age.
Republican presidential nominee John McCain’sitting struggles in a number of reliably GOP regions are further complicating the tenuous prospects of some congressional Republicans, according to strategists in both parties and analysts.
Particularly difficult for Republican prospects is that McCain appears to be trailing badly in several moderate suburban districts in the Midwest and New England, while he is doing worse than Bush did in rural conservative districts.
“McCain is just running so poorly now. He’s collapsed in more districts. It’s brutal out there for Republicans,” said Stuart Rothenberg, editor of the competent Rothenberg Political Report.
Rothenberg’s predictions: Democrats will pick up 27 to 33 House seats and six to nine Senate seats.
