Important US Senate Races of 2008

Of the 100 US Senate seats, 65 are not up for election in 2008 (39 of those are held by Democrats and 26 are held by Republicans). Of the remaining 34 seats, 12 are held by Democratic incumbents and 23 by Republican incumbents.

Despite the disparity between Republican and Democratic incumbents, 21 are considered “safe” because they are either uncontested or the challenger is not considered a threat.

The remaining 14 seats are considered “in play” by both Republican and Democratic party bosses, and therefore are the subject of considerable debate, fund-raising and speculation. Despite the national pundit projections and the unreliability of daily, weekly or monthly polling, the status of these races is widely considered to be split right down the middle, with seven seats leaning Republican and seven leaning Democratic. These projections are not based on polling, but rather a) demographic makeup, b) turnout history and c) economic, social and political factors important to the individual Senate districts.

The following list is a brief breakdown of who is running in what race, and the key issues that might affect the outcome of the election:

Alaska (Republican Leaning):
R: Ted Stevens (I)
D: Mark Begich

Incumbent Sen. Ted Stevens is facing off with Anchorage Mayor Mark Begich in a race Democrats are “confident" they’ll win – even though Stevens was first elected to the Senate in 1968 and won re-election six years ago with 78 percent of the vote. Begich began running his ads on June 8, 2008. Stevens meanwhile, has been more reserved, but the web site MarkBegichFacts.info should give Alaska’s voters an idea of what’s in store when Stevens does launch his campaign ads. The site highlights how Begich defaulted on three separate properties, with the defaults totaling more than $370,000 and each property being sold at auction; how as a landlord, Begich reportedly evicted a tenant on Christmas Eve and how Begich has been penalized for not paying property taxes 23 out of 29 times over a 7-year period.

Colorado (Democrat Leaning):
R: Bob Schaffer
D: Mark Udall

GOP challenger Bob Schaffer has suffered an uphill battle thanks to a very unpopular legacy left by departing US Sen. Wayne Allard. Schaffer’s struggle is compounded by House Rep. Mark Udall’s unusually large war chest. Had former US Rep. Scott McInnis stayed in the race, Republicans might be seeing a very different campaign being waged, especially since Udall has been one of the most partisan politicians in Congress, voting not with his constituents, but with his party bosses.

Idaho (Republican Favored):
R: Jim Risch
D: Larry LaRocco

Despite the embarrassing sex scandal and subsequent legal woes surrounding outgoing US Sen. Larry Craig, Republican Lt. Gov. Jim Risch still has a firm grip on the campaign and is a favorite to win the open Senate seat in the general election. Besides being a politician and businessman, Risch is a conservative who also runs a successful ranch and farm. Former US House Rep. Larry LaRocco, meanwhile, was swept out of office in 1994 during the Republican takeover of Congress.

Kentucky (Republican Leaning):
R: Mitch McConnell (I)
D: Bruce Lunsford
L: Sonny Landham

Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell has been targeted by Democrats as vulnerable, despite the conservative Congressman’s impressive record since his entry into the Senate in 1984. McConnell’s reputation in the Senate is stellar and he is known as a man who is unapologetic in his commitment to conservative values -- even when he must cast unpopular votes. Former Kentucky Commerce Secretary Bruce Lunsford dropped out of the state governor’s race in 2003, after his opponent ran ads detailing alleged abuses at facilities operated by Lunsford’s nursing home company. Lunsford ran again in 2007, but was defeated in the Democratic primary. He now breeds race horses and is part owner of a movie production company.

Libertarian Sonny Landham is most famous for his role as “Billy Bear” in the 1982 movie 48 hrs., which featured Eddie Murphy and Nick Nolte. His role in this race, however, has been as lightning rod. In July 2008, he went on a radio show aimed at politically-minded young listeners and proceeded to make several racist comments about Arabs and Arab-Americans. He also presented an idea to steal oil from the Middle East and stop all Arab immigration into the US. Landham has been unapologetic and even called for Arab genocide, causing Libertarian party officials to schedule an emergency session to determine their future support of his candidacy.

Louisiana (Democratic Leaning):
R: John Kennedy
D: Mary Landrieu (I)

Incumbent Mary Landrieu is perhaps the most vulnerable Democrat in the Senate based on her record after 10 years in Washington, DC. She was elected in 1996 by one of the narrowest margin in Louisiana election history. Her election was clouded by accusations of election fraud and she narrowly won again in 2002. Landrieu’s stint as Senator has been dogged by controversy, including her “Gang of 14” compromise to use judicial filibusters and her comments that the evacuation of New Orleans prior to Hurricane Katrina was “the best evacuation.” Louisiana State Treasurer John Kennedy is the perfect challenger to Landrieu; he is responsible for overseeing the state’s $5 billion budget. Kennedy easily won re-election in November 2007.

Maine (Republican Leaning):
R. Susan Collins (I)
D: Tom Allen

Elected in 1996, Senator Susan Collins has repeatedly crossed party lines to accomplish tasks that benefit Maine taxpayers. Collins worked to make programs more efficient, co-authored the intelligence reform and disaster response bills, which were both signed into law. Meanwhile, far-left liberal Congressman Tom Allen has closely aligned himself with MoveOn.org -- receiving more money from the political action committee than any other candidate running for president, US Senate or US House in 2008.