A positive rush of Senate campaign news has popped up for the political news junkie.
- The most important is the announcement that in Montana term-limited (and former candidate for the Democratic Presidential nomination) Governor Bullock (D-MT) has changed his mind, after a lot of prodding, and will run for the seat currently held by Senator Daines (R-MT). This transitions a safe Republican seat into a seat that could potentially be taken by the Democrats, as Bullock has held two state-wide seats, governor and attorney general. It’s true that his margins of victory do not approach those of Daines, but it’s also true that it’s a chancy business to compare victory margins, as there are too many variables, including the waxing and waning of Trumpism. And whether or not Daines’ TrumpScore of 85.5% is good or bad for his campaign is also not clear – will Trump endorse him, and even that raises questions. I await the next poll with mild interest, and, if it suggests a tight race, I will increase my count of Republican seats in play to ten.
- In a slightly dated, but still applicable, post, The Daily Kos reports that in Alabama, the two surviving candidates for the Republican nomination to the Senate seat being defended by Senator Jones (D-AL), Sessions and Tuberville, are indeed ripping into each other with vigor. While this seat remains likely to change hands next January, it’s not foreordained. And given the enthusiasm for Trump displayed by the two candidates, they both have a real vulnerability if the Alabama electorate sours on the President.
- And Steve Benen presents his summary of recent Senatorial campaign news here, covering Arizona, Colorado, North Carolina, and more.
This is the happy season for the political junkie.
