FORECAST: Senate takeover unlikely ...

[MindMover]

Even Republicans are saying it: The GOP Senate takeover they all thought was almost a sure thing a year ago now looks like a coin flip at best.

POLITICO surveyed more than a dozen top Republican strategists last week to gauge the party’s outlook for the upper chamber coming out of the conventions and into the election home stretch. None called the task impossible, but most said the path to the Senate majority is much narrower than even a few months ago.

The diminished mood is a product of unforeseen events — like Maine Sen. Olympia Snowe’s surprise retirement — and underwhelming candidates.

North Dakota and Montana, once thought to be fairly easy pickups for Republicans, have remained stubbornly close, thanks to weaker-than-expected GOP contenders and strong Democratic campaigns. Missouri’s been moved out of the sure-win column after Todd Akin’s debacle. And the GOP’s once-high hopes in New Mexico and Hawaii are fading as the party confronts daunting blue-state demographics.

http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0912/80944.html

[TroyD]

1. North Dakota

It shouldn't even be close.

It was selfish of Kent Conrad to step down this year. He should have stayed on, that way the Democrats wouldn't have to worry about losing this seat. Hopefully the bizarre remarks the GOP candidate for ND made recently will cause him to fall behind.

In the case of Wisconsin it's more understandable since Herb Kohl is older.

But in a tough year like this, we should not have had so many Democratic Senators retiring and risking the loss of the Senate at such an important time.

Tim Kaine also has to pick up the slack for Jim Webb in Virginia, and will hopefully keep out George "macacca" Allen.

What's important is for Elizabeth Warren to beat Scott Brown in Massachusetts. So far she has not been able to make a breakthrough with Independents. That will be key. Brown has been pretending to be a moderate and an independent in his ads.

[davidpdx]

6. Warren, Kaine and McCaskill

Are all important races to win. I hope we don't lose the Senate.

[Cosmocat]

2. This is V I T A L

barring some kind of major problem that might arise in the next two months, President Obama is a pretty safe bet.

It if VITAL that the Ds find a way to keep the senate.

V I T A L

[underpants]

3. Somewhere in North Dakota and Montana there are people driving long distances between addresses..

knocking on the door and saying, "HI I am________ from the ______ campaign". It goes a long way just to do that. I sense that this is a holdover from the Dean era at the DNC.

[jimlup]

4. Basically we have to hold both the Presidency and Senate /nt

[rachel1]

5. Not surprising at all

The repukes's popularity has been declining for a long time.