Sunday July 25 marked the 100-day countdown to the 2010 midterm elections. Republicans continue to expect success against the Democratic majority, as polls show Republican nominees in the lead in many races.
Political analyst Dick Morris discussed the likelihood of a Republican senatorial majority in the fall on his website and said that while the GOP has six retiring incumbents, he believes that Kentucky and Kansas will be easy victories.
Recent Rasmussen results continue to show potential Republican dominance in November as well. Republican Roy Blunt leads in Missouri, and Republican Ron Portman is ahead in Ohio. Republican Marco Rubio finds himself in a difficult campaign against newly declared Independent Charlie Crist, however. In New Hampshire, the Republican primary is tight between Attorney General Kelly Ayotte and Bill Binnie as they approach the September 14 primary election. Two other New Hampshire Republicans, Jim Bender and Ovide Lamontage, are vying for the position as well. Despite the competition, a July 14 Rasmussen poll shows that all four Republican candidates lead Democratic nominee Paul Hodes.
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In Delaware, Republican Congressman Mike Castle holds 47 percent support against Democrat Chris Coons. Republican Dan Coats maintains a comfortable lead against Democrat Brad Ellsworth in the state of Indiana. With a 25-point lead in Arkansas, Republican John Boozman has little to fear in the race against Blanche Lincoln. A similar lead can be seen in North Dakota with Republican John Hoeven well ahead of Democrat Tracy Potter (1).
In the balance of power states, Republican Pat Toomey holds a slight lead over Democrat Joe Sestak in Pennsylvania. Sharron Angle maintains a small lead over Democrat Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid after facing harsh attack ads from Nevada Democrats. The race in Illinois is so close between Republican Mark Kirk and Democrat Alexi Giannoulias that it can go either way in the November election. Kirk has 40 percent support while Giannoulias has 39 percent.
While Washington has an August 17 primary for Republican candidates Dino Rossi and Clint Didier, both candidates lead Democrat Patti Murray.
In Wisconsin, the campaign can go either way between Democratic incumbent Russ Feingold and Republican challenger Ron Johnson.
Finally, with an August 10 Democrat and Republican primary quickly approaching, Republican contenders hold modest leads against their Democratic opponents.
In California, however, Barbara Boxer leads Republican contender Carly Fiorina with 49 percent support against Fiorinas 42 percent.
In the House of Representatives, all seats are up for election. Thirty-seven Representatives are retiring, 17 Democrats and 20 Republicans, with five vacancies being filled by special elections prior to November. Congressional Quarterly predicts that the Democrats will take 228 seats, the Republicans 178, with 29 races too close to call. With the Democrats in control of more than 50 seats over the majority line, the odds of Republicans gaining a majority are slim, as historically the incumbent majority typically loses an average of 28 seats.
Fox News reports that the Republicans are making use of the volatile anti-Democratic sentiments rather than a pro-GOP platform. This is owing in part to disagreements within the Republican Party over a variety of issues including illegal immigration. The emergence of the Tea Party movement has helped to articulate a divide between moderate Republicans and those that espouse constitutionalist principles, causing rifts within the GOP.
Likewise, Republicans are hesitant to outline a clear platform as advised by GOP strategists, lest they give Democrats ammunition.
This has not stopped Republican John Boehner from revealing three priorities he intends to tackle if he becomes Speaker of the House: repeal healthcare, eliminate the climate-exchange legislation, and extend the Bush-era tax cuts. Proving GOP strategies correct, Obama attacked Boehner for promoting a job-killing agenda that caused the recession in the first place.
Fox News predicts that it is the anti-Washington mood that continues to permeate throughout the country that will likely generate a substantial Republican victory on November 2.
Note: We originally reported that Republican John Hoeven held a lead over Democrat Senator Byron Dorgan in the race for the Senate in North Dakota. This was incorrect. Senator Dorgan is not running for reelection and Hoeven’s lead is over Democrat Tracy Potter. Our thanks to Sen. Dorgan’s office for alerting us to this error.
Photo: AP Images
