Democratic Prospects in Senate Looking Up

[ProSense]

Democratic Prospects in Senate Looking Up

Friday March 17, 2006 3:49pm

Washington (AP) - It wasn't too long ago that Democratic leader Harry Reid mused aloud how it would take a miracle for his party to gain a 50-50 tie in the Senate, much less wrest control from Republicans this fall. No one is claiming divine intervention in the days since. Yet eight months before midterm elections, Republican incumbents in Pennsylvania, Montana, Rhode Island, Ohio and Missouri face difficult races for re-election in a noticeably more challenging political environment for the GOP. And the early polls show a competitive campaign in Tennessee, where Majority Leader Bill Frist is retiring.

"We're feeling pretty good. If they did a snapshot today, the Senate would be 50-50," said New York Sen. Chuck Schumer, campaign committee chairman for the Democrats.

"We've got some competitive races, no question," agreed North Carolina Sen. Elizabeth Dole, Schumer's counterpart at the GOP campaign committee. She predicted a "strong Republican majority" after the elections, and said the GOP will challenge for Democratic seats in Washington, Maryland, New Jersey and elsewhere.

Still, neither Dole nor Frist would predict how many seats will remain in Republican hands after the midterm elections, reflecting a time in which a sort of gallows humor is taking hold. To their chagrin, GOP officials find themselves debating privately whether Democrats have a better chance to pick up the six seats they need to control the Senate - or the 15 required for a majority in the House.

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http://www.wjla.com/news/stories/0306/311458.html

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