With yesterday’s result in the Alaska U.S. Senate race showing that incumbent GOPer Ted Stevens has lost his reelection bid (really smart move requesting that speedy trial before Election Day and then opting for a jury trial over one where the judge pronounces the verdict), Senate Dems are one vote closer to a filibuster-proof majority of 60 in the U.S. Senate. Actually, make that two votes closer with their decision yesterday to permit Sen. Joe Lieberman (I-Conn.) to continue to chair the Homeland Security Cmte.
Dems now hold 58 Senate seats going into the 111th Congress and there are two that remain undecided — the MN race where Norm Coleman leads Al Franken by just 215 votes and a recount gets underway today and the GA race where Saxby Chambliss must compete in a Dec. 2 run-off election after having just missed winning an outright majority on Nov. 4. If the Dems somehow manage to swipe the MN seat and win the GA seat, look out. There will be nothing left to stop them.
The one good thing about Ted Stevens losing is that will quash all the people who have been pronouncing that Gov. Sarah Palin should run for the Stevens seat in order to boost her credentials before a presidential run. The fact of the matter is, despite this year’s outcome, you are more likely to be elected president after serving as a governor than if you serve in the senate. The only reason why a governor didn’t win this year was the governors who were in the primary field were not top-tier candidates and we wound up with two senators as the parties’ nominees. (Democrats can thank Mark “I’d rather be senator than president” Warner on their side for that.)
While not much more can be done in the MN race, you CAN still impact the GA campaign. Head on over to Saxby Chambliss’s web site and make a donation!!!
Filed under: 2008 Elections, Congress, Democrats, Marky Mark, National Politics, Republicans, Sarah Palin
