The Battle for the Senate

The political landscape littered with casualties, the 2010 election now gets under way in earnest. It may not feature a presidential contest, but that's about all it is lacking.

The elections have Tea Party candidates, sex scandals, lie detector tests, third parties, professional wrestling magnates, intra-party squabbling and more. Thirty-seven Senate seats are at stake, there are races for governor in 37 states, and all of the seats in the House of Representatives are at stake. Control of Congress is really up for grabs this year, as Democrats are trying to hold on to House and Senate majorities in the face of agitated, "throw the bums out" public sentiment.

Republicans are salivating at the thought of controlling the House and Senate, but have already been singed by the anti-incumbent fire. And the issues are as big as ever: Social Security, Medicare, health insurance reform, taxes, the federal deficit and immigration top the list of concerns.

Republicans have attracted the punishing focus of anti-establishment Tea Party activists, even though that’s a double-edged sword. Although Tea Party-backed challengers have defeated Republican incumbents in heavily Republican Utah and Alaska, they have also beaten candidates in Florida, Nevada and Delaware, giving Democrats a chance to win there.
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