Chambliss Defeats Martin in Georgia
Sen. Saxby Chambliss (R-GA) defeated Democrat Jim Martin in their runoff yesterday so Chambliss will retain his seat in the Senate. He got 57% of the vote to Martin's 43%. The only way for the Democrats to get to 60 seats in the senate now is for Franken to win and for Obama to appoint to his cabinet a Republican senator from a state with a Democratic governor, such as Sen. Olympia Snowe (R-ME). However, if Franken wins, the Democrats will have 59 seats, so every single Republican senator will be able to threaten Mitch McConnell with defecting on cloture votes unless McCconnell does the senator's bidding. If Coleman wins, McConnell will have a bit more breathing room. Nevertheless, cloture votes rarely go entirely along party lines and majority leader Harry Reid will be able to offer Republican senators various goodies to defect whereas McConnell has little to offer.
Mel Martinez Will Not Seek Reelection in 2010
Sen. Mel Martinez (R-FL) has announced that he will not seek reelection in 2010. He is the second Republican senator to announce his retirement already. The Martinez announcement is very significant and instantly puts the seat in play. There will certainly be primaries for both parties as Florida is a swing state and both parties have a shot at winning the seat. former governor Jeb Bush (R) is probably the strongest candidate for the Republicans, but it is not known if he wants the job. The state's chief financial officer, Alex Sink, is a potentially strong Democratic candidate, but there are also a large number of members of Congress who could run.
The other senator who is retiring is Sen. Sam Brownback (R-KS). Kansas is a sufficiently Republican state and the Democratic bench is so shallow that the GOP will probably be able to hold this seat. However, there are serious problems in other states. Sen. Arlen Specter (R-PA), who will be 80 in 2010 and who has cancer, is likely to face a ferocious primary challenge from the right, which will soften him up for the expected Democratic onslaught in this blue state. Hardball host Chris Matthews is mulling a run as is Gov. Ed Rendell (D-PA). While Matthews has never held elective office, Rendell has been elected governor twice, most recently (2006) by 20 points. He is an experienced politician, having also served as mayor of Philadelphia for 8 years and would be a formiddable opponent.
electoral-vote.com |
