Lots of men and women are running for important House and Senate races in states across America.
Credit: AP Photo/Patrick Semansky
Update on House and Senate Races
Congress is made up of the Senate, which consists of 100 total senators (two from each state) and the House of Representatives, which consists of 435 representatives. The current Senate consists of 53 Democrats and 47 Republicans. In the upcoming election, there are 33 of the 100 Senate seats up for election. Of those 33, Democrats hold 23 of those seats and the Republicans hold 10. To maintain control of the Senate, the Democrats need to win 21 seats. To gain control, the Republicans must win 14 of the races.
In the House of Representatives the GOP is expected to keep its majority control. If Mitt Romney wins the presidency and the GOP win just four spots in the Senate, then all three branches would be under Republican control. As election season winds down, there has been a lot of attention to these important congressional races across the United States.
Six Crucial Senate Races
While this state historically votes conservative, the Democrats have a strong nominee in Richard Carmona, a Puerto Rican military veteran who was George W. Bush’s Surgeon General. His opponent is a fifth-generation Arizonan and former member of the House of Representatives.
Joe Lieberman, the one-time vice presidential candidate and senator from Connecticut is retiring. Republican Linda McMahon, who was a former CEO of World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) is looking once again to fill this seat. (She lost when she ran for the state’s other open seat in 2010.) Despite the attention she’s been getting, her opponent, 39 year-old Democrat Christopher Murphy is favored in this state that leans Democratic.
Tea Party Republican Richard Mourdock won in the primary against longtime Republican Senator Richard G. Lugar. He was leading the race, but his challenger, Joe Donnelly (D), has closed the gap.
When Ted Kennedy died in 2009, the state elected Republican Scott Brown to continue out the remaining years of Kennedy’s term. Brown, a former model and “centrist” is now running for a full term. His challenger is Elizabeth Warren, a Harvard professor and liberal known for designing a new consumer protection law. She is very unpopular with conservatives.
Early in this race, incumbent Democrat Claire McCaskill took a lot of heat for using public funds to reimburse flights on her private plane. Then in August, her opponent, Republican Todd Akin made some controversial comments on a talk show that made national news. Despite this, the race is still considered close because the state has become increasingly conservative.
Perhaps the most watched race this year is in this important swing state. Two former Virginia governors are now in a close race for the seat. Tim Kaine, who served as governor from 2006 to 2010 is the Democratic Party’s nominee. Former senator George Allen, who was also governor from 1994 to 1996, will oppose Kaine as the Republican candidate. One of the biggest debates of this race centers around coal and its impact on the state’s economy.
Five Competitive House Races
New California ballot rules allow for two incumbent Democrats to run against one another. The contest between Brad Sherman and Howard Berman has become very heated as both men try to gain the upper hand in this race.
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Joe Kennedy III, a member of the famous Kennedy family, is expected to easily defeat Republican Sean Bielat. The Kennedy’s have had important influence in Massachusetts for generations.
Incumbent Scott DesJarlais (R) was favored in this race but his Democratic Party opponent Eric Stewart has gained ground in recent weeks due to negative press about DesJarlais’ past history.
If Republican Mia Love, mayor of Saratoga Springs, defeats favored Democrat Jim Matheson, she could become first African American Republican in the House.
Dig Deeper
Find a website that is dedicated to following the day-to-day forecast of the House and Senate races. Here are some:
Make a chart, paying particular attention to the swing states and if any move their classification from Solid Democrat, Leaning Democrat, Toss-Up, Leaning Republican, and Strong Republican. Compare the charts to winners on election night.
Lia Eastep
