Democrats Starting to See Chance of Keeping Senate Seats in South

[RamboLiberal]

http://www.nytimes.com/2004/06/02/politics/campaign/02SOUT.html?hp=&pagewanted=print&position=

Not so long ago, the South provided a bleak landscape for Democrats. Struggling to recover from devastating defeats in the 2002 off-year elections, the party saw five of its incumbent senators announce their retirements — John B. Breaux in Louisiana, John Edwards in North Carolina, Ernest F. Hollings in South Carolina, Zell Miller in Georgia and Bob Graham in Florida.

Because President Bush won all five states in 2000, Republicans saw the vacancies as fertile ground for solidifying control of the Senate.

But now, some of those election contests are shaping up as unexpectedly spirited. With a sluggish regional economy, continued bloodshed in Iraq and a certain distance from their own party, Southern Democrats say they sense political daylight — and a slim possibility of recapturing the Senate.

Independent experts say there is more to the Democratic claims than election year spin.

"I think the Democrats are going to end up winning a few of these races," said Charlie Cook, editor of The Cook Political Report, a nonpartisan publication. "The president will certainly win in the South, but he's not going to be the asset for other Republican candidates that you might normally expect."

[AlFrankenFan]

1. Edwards is retiring?!

:wtf:

[shraby]

2. Probably retiring to take

a slot in Kerry's cabinet.

[JayS]

3. I'm hoping he moves to Texas. We could use a new Governor. :)

[John_H]

4. Be a great AG. n/t

[JayS]

5. Or Lt. Governor. That is where the power is! :)

[yardwork]

7. Edwards was pressured into agreeing not to run again for the Senate

This happened last year, when he was still in the race for president. His seat is up for reelection this fall.

It's misleading of the article to lump all these senators together. Edwards agreed not to run again because it would be difficult to run for president and senator simultaneously. The others are retiring because they are getting older. Graham was also running for president.

Zell Miller doesn't count as a Democrat anyway.

[question everything]

8. Edwards is a class action

During the primaries he announced that - win or lose - he was giving up his senate seat. Compare this to most politicians who won't give up their seats until a new one is secured.

Most prominent in California, where state offices, as well as many locals, are subjected to term limits. And then, once a pol is security sitting in his new office, the local offices have to start a series of special elections to fill this and future offices, as the game of musical chairs begins. But, hey, it's only tax payers money..

[struggle4progress]

6. Yippie!

:bounce:

[dusty64]

9. Chimp never was an asset, but

the funky diebold machines were. A loss in Georgia won't really be a loss, but I am concerned about what jebby and his band of criminals are up to. Haven't heard much about whats going on down there lately re: the Senate race.