Approaching the Finish Line

Updated: February 1, 2011 | 9:53 a.m.
November 1, 2008

With nearly twice as many Senate seats to defend as the Democrats need to protect, the GOP is being dragged down by an extraordinarily unpopular president, a quintet of retirements, fundraising problems, a severe economic crisis, and an incumbent convicted of seven felony counts of corruption.

23 Republican-Held Seats

Gone (3) CO OPEN (Wayne Allard) NM OPEN (Pete Domenici) VA OPEN (John Warner)

Almost Gone (1) AK Ted Stevens

Highly Vulnerable (6) GA Saxby Chambliss MN Norm Coleman MS Roger Wicker NH John Sununu NC Elizabeth Dole OR Gordon Smith

Vulnerable (1) KY Mitch McConnell

PROBABLY Safe (1) ME Susan Collins

Safe (11) AL Jeff Sessions ID OPEN (Larry Craig) KS Pat Roberts MS Thad Cochran NE OPEN (Chuck Hagel) OK James Inhofe SC Lindsey Graham TN Lamar Alexander TX John Cornyn WY Michael Enzi WY John Barrasso

12 Democratic-Held Seats

Vulnerable (1) LA Mary Landrieu

Probably safe (1) SD Tim Johnson

Safe (10) AR Mark Pryor DE Joe Biden IL Richard Durbin IA Tom Harkin MA John Kerry MI Carl Levin MT Max Baucus NJ Frank Lautenberg RI Jack Reed WV Jay Rockefeller

Want to stay ahead of the curve? Sign up for National Journal’s AM & PM Must Reads. News and analysis to ensure you don’t miss a thing.

Join the Discussion
The National Journal Group has the right (but not the obligation) to monitor the comments and to remove any materials it deems inappropriate.
Comments powered by Disqus
Follow National Journal
  • NationalJournal on Twitter
  • NationalJournal on Facebook
  • NationalJournal on Tumblr
  • NationalJournal's RSS Feeds
  • NationalJournal's Email Newsletters
  • NationalJournal on iPhone and iPad
COLUMNS
Gwen Ifill: Gwen's Take

Election 2012 – Managing Alternatives

5:06 p.m.

In politics, the language of choice often comes loaded. School choice. Abortion rights. Public option. Proponents embrace these descriptions to put the best possible face on otherwise contentious issues. This was one of the weeks when the politics of alternatives defined the debate. 

Charlie Cook: Charlie Cook's The Cook Report

Right and Wrong

2:00 p.m.
A prolonged race could force Mitt Romney to tack even more to the right, which would hurt him in November.
Ronald Brownstein: Political Connections

The Enemy Is Us

2:00 p.m.
Republicans increasingly question government entitlements for the poor, but the big costs remain with the middle class.
More Columns »
The Next Economy

Living Longer Is a Blessing, Not a Curse

Baby boomers are fast becoming elderly boomers, a demographic change that will shape the nation’s society—and its economy—for decades to come.

EXPERT OPINIONS
Transportation Experts

Now We're Getting Political

10:11 p.m.

Latest Response by Bill Lind: Advice for the Ways and Means Chairman

Transportation Experts

Now We're Getting Political

7:14 p.m.

Latest Response by Emil H. Frankel: Enactment Depends on Better Choices

National Security Experts

Should the U.S. End the Combat Mission in Afghanistan in 2013?

12:08 p.m.

Latest Response by James Jay Carafano: War by Calendar

More Expert Opinions »