Senate 2008 Guru: Following the Races

Keeping a close eye on developments in the 2008 U.S. Senate races

Thursday, April 12, 2007

Thursday Quick Hits

  • North Carolina: Democratic Congressman Brad Miller is indeed considering a challenge to Liddy Dole. Blue South cheers him on.

  • Virginia: Raising Kaine highlights super-popular former Governor Mark Warner's continued hinting at a future electoral run, while WaPo has M. Warner suggesting that he's in no immediate rush to make a final decision on electoral plans.

  • New Mexico: The bad press just keeps on coming for Pajamas Pete Domenici. The story ain't going away anytime soon, certainly not while the Senate Ethics investigation is ongoing. (So we need a prominent Democrat to step up and challenge him now!)

  • Mississippi: MyDD's Singer has Arlen Specter dropping a possible hint that Thad Cochran may have already privately decided on retirement. Couple Specter's comment with Rove's presentation and it makes one wonder. We know Cochran has a distaste for serving in the minority party. Is a Cochran retirement imminent?

  • Idaho: Yesterday's Magic Valley Times-News suggested that GOP Rep. Mike Simpson would consider a Senate bid if Larry Craig retired, setting up a possible Simpson primary against GOP Lt. Gov. Jim Risch. Well, today's Sun Valley Online suggests that Simpson is "not terribly attracted to Senator Larry Craig's Senate seat, even if the senator decides to retire." We'll always have Commissioner Robert Vasquez to keep things interesting on the GOP side, I guess.

  • Montana: GOP Rep. Denny Rehberg has himself a very solid Democratic opponent for his House seat, Bill Kennedy, Chairman of the Montana Board of Transportation and a Yellowstone County Commissioner. Kennedy last ran statewide in 2004 for Secretary of State, narrowly losing a close race 219,821 to 210,972. Will Rehberg's formidable new opponent make him more or less likely to consider challenging popular Democratic Senator Max Baucus? Rehberg will probably be spending a few bucks on some polls in the near future.

  • Georgia: Frequent readers of the Guru's blog know that the incumbent Republican I most want to see lose in 2008 is Saxby Chambliss. Unfortunately, no top tier Democrats have stepped up yet. Meanwhile, Chambliss polls very well against "Conservative Democrat" Vernon Jones. Not a day goes by that I don't hope that former Senator and true American hero Max Cleland reconsiders and challenges "Shameless" Chambliss to a rematch.

    • posted by Senate2008Guru | 12:04 PM

    4 Comments:

    Blogger Will Cubbison said...

    Stay tuned. We should see a poll on Miller v Dole pretty soon.

    12:51 PM, April 12, 2007  
    Blogger NOVA said...

    Very comforting to hear about Miller!

    Concerning the GA-Senate race, is Jim Butler still considering getting in? He would be able to self-fund, so that's a plus. Guru, are you from Georgia, or just disgusted w/ the tactics Chambliss used in 02? Have all the big names - Franklin, Marshall, Cox, Baker, Thurmond, Bishop, (Michelle) Nunn - said no? I know most of them have, but wasn't sure if all our hope is really resting on Vernon Jones. So, yeah, hoping to hear something about Butler's plans.

    1:10 PM, April 12, 2007  
    Blogger Senate2008Guru said...

    nova - I'm not from Georgia - but, yeah, I'm just disgusted with Chambliss' 2002 tactics against Cleland.

    Some of the big names have been mum and some have said no. From what I understand, there are still rumors that Butler, Marshall or Cox might get in, but it doesn't look at all likely for any of them.

    3:29 PM, April 12, 2007  
    Blogger independent conservative said...

    COMMENTING ON THE GA SENAYE RACE I,VE HEARD RUMORS THAT FORMER SENATOR SAM NUNN MAY MAKE ONE MORE RUN AT THE SENATE, & POSSIBLY JONH BARROW (D) SAVANNAH. ALSO WATCHOUT FOR SANFORD BISHOP (D) ALBANY & LABOR COMMISSIONER MICHAEL THURMOND (D) ATHENS TO JUMP INTO THE RACE BEFORE THE YEAR IS OUT. BUT I THINK THAT BISHOP, OR NUNN WOULD BEAT CHAMBLISS WOULD BEAT CHAMBLISS BECAUSE OF THEIR RECORDS, THEIR ABILITY TO WIN CROSSOVER VOTES, & THEY CAN RAISE MONEY. THEY BOTH ARE EXPERTS ON MILITARY, INTELLIGENCE, & FOREIGN MATTERS WHICH IS ESSENTIAL IN GEORGIA BECAUSE OF THE NUMBER OF MILITARY BASES. BY THE WAY IF JIM BUTLER (D) COLUMBUS WERE TO GET INTO THE RACE HE CAN FUND HIS OWN CAMPAIGN & REPRESENT THE NEW VERSION OF GEORGIA CONSERVATIVE DEMOCRATS, WHICH WOULD BE A PLUS.

    1:48 PM, April 24, 2007  

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