House Democrats to Hold Press Event on House Republicans #39; Dangerous Homeland Security Funding Bill
House Democrats to Hold Press Event on House Republicans #39; Dangerous Homeland Security Funding Bill.
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California Attorney General to announce run for Senate / Democrats, Elections, Kamala Harris
California Attorney General to announce run for Senate Kamala Harris, California #39;s Attorney General and longtime friend of Pres. Obama is expected to announc...
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California Attorney General to announce run for Senate / Democrats, Elections, Kamala Harris - Video
Democrats Republicans Fighting Over Recent Amendments To Key Bills - Cavuto
Democrats Republicans Fighting Over Recent Amendments To Key Bills - Cavuto =========================================== **Please Click Below to SUBSCRIBE for More "Wake Up ...
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Democrats & Republicans Fighting Over Recent Amendments To Key Bills - Cavuto - Video
The Senate map is the Democrats friend in the 2016 cycle. They are defending only 10 seats, while Republicans have two dozen to hold. But wait, it gets better. Seven of those 24 Republican seats are in states that President Obama won not once but twice: Florida, Illinois, Iowa, New Hampshire, Ohio, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin.
To win the majority, Democrats need to win five of those seven seats in November 2016. (If Hillary Clinton, or another Democrat, wins the White House in 2016, then Senate Democrats need to win only four of those seven.) Thats the exact path Republicans took to the Senate majority in 2014 when, needing a six-seat gain, they won all six of the Democratic-held seats Alaska, Arkansas, Louisiana, Montana, South Dakota and West Virginia that Mitt Romney carried in 2012. (Republicans also won two states Iowa and Colorado that Obama carried twice, and one North Carolina that Obama won in 2008 and Romney won in 2012.)
Of course, 2014 was a historically good year for Senate Republicans. The last time the party won more than nine seats in a midterm election was 1994, when it scored 10. Prior to 1994, you have to go back to 1946, when Republicans netted 12 seats.
And while the map looks great for Democrats on paper, several of those seven races look less rosy in reality. Iowa is a tough Democratic pickup unless Sen. Charles E. Grassley(R) decides to retire, which he insists he isnt going to do. Ohio Sen. Rob Portman(R) is a gifted politician and fundraiser, while the Democratic bench in the state is decidedly thin. The Democratic fields in New Hampshire, Florida and Illinois are still quite muddled. And neither Sens. Patrick J. Toomey (R-Pa.) nor Ron Johnson (R-Wis.) are political dead men walking.
There are also two genuinely vulnerable Democrats Sens. Harry M. Reid (Nev.) and Michael F. Bennet (Colo.) on the ballot in 2016.
Still, as the 2014 election revealed, the map and the math are huge factors in the battle for the Senate. Both are on Democrats side this time around.
Below are the 10 most competitive Senate contests on the ballot in 2016. The No.1-ranked race is the most likely to switch parties in 2016.
10. Kentucky (Republican-controlled). Sen. Rand Paul (R) is staffing, as expected, for a presidential run next year. Paul still has to figure out how hes going to run for president and hold his Senate seat if that former race doesnt work out. His opponent in that effort could be none other than 2014 Senate nominee Alison Lundergan Grimes, given her role as Kentuckys chief elections officer.
9. Ohio (R). This may be the swing state at the presidential level. But Portman isnt seen as particularly vulnerable in 2016. A lot of that is because he banked $5.8 million by the end of 2014. Another big reason is that Democrats have a slim bench in Ohio. Among the names mentioned are Cincinnati Councilman P.G. Sittenfeld, former governor Ted Strickland, former congresswoman Betty Sutton and Rep. Tim Ryan.
8. Florida (R). Whither Marco Rubio? The Florida senator could be the odd man out in the presidential race, with fellow Floridian Jeb Bush and other establishment-friendly candidates such as Mitt Romney and Chris Christie in the mix. Consider this: Rubio is just 43 years old, and hes got his 2016 reelection campaign to worry about. Perhaps its better to focus on staying in the Senate and waiting for the next opportunity.
Originally posted here:
Democrats see map and math working to their advantage in 2016 Senate races
Congressional Democrats insist they are not to be taken for granted. And for all of the talk about cooperation and bipartisanship which spews like a geyser at the beginning of a Congress, the first two weeks of the year revealed Democrats throwing up roadblocks and protecting their causes. It created a lot of headaches for Republicans who now hold majorities in both bodies.
Lets start with the Senate. The calendar may have just flipped to 2015. But believe it or not, its really 2016.
And not in the way you might think.
Yes, theres plenty of chatter about Jeb and Christie and Rand. Oh, what is Huckabee up to? Theres talk of Hillary and OMalley and Biden and Webb. Better keep an eye on that dark horse Pence.
But on Capitol Hill, the 2016 Congressional elections are already in full-force.
To wit:
There are two fundamental essences of the United State Senate: unlimited debate and an unlimited amendment process. During the last Congress under Democratic control, Republicans brayed at how then-Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV) would use privileges afforded him to halt debate and short-circuit the opportunity to offer amendments. When the GOP seized control this year, new Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) said he wanted the Senate to work and he would offer an open amendment process. Democrats are sure taking advantage of that, offering a slew of amendments to a bill to approve the Keystone pipeline.
This is by design. And it all has to do with 2016.
Certainly some of those amendments reflect the true values of Democrats when discussing Keystone. Theres an amendment which looks at whether burning fossil fuels contributes to global warming. Theres another amendment suggesting the U.S. transition from fossil fuels. These amendments highlight the key differences between the parties on Keystone.
Consider this for a moment: 24 Senate Republicans are up in 2016. A scant ten Democrats face re-election. Now study some of the first-term GOP senators who will be on the ballot next year. Sens. Mark Kirk (R-IL), Kelly Ayotte (R-NH), Marco Rubio (R-FL), Pat Toomey (R-PA), Ron Johnson (R-WI) and Rob Portman (R-OH). All were elected in 2010, a banner, midterm election year for Republicans. And all are from swing states. Swing states in 2016, a presidential election year. This inherently complicates their re-election plans. And Democrats are there to make things even tougher.
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For GOP to get to 'yes' in Congress, they will have to deal with Democrats