United States Elections, US 2010 Elections

The 2010 United States midterm elections will be held on Tuesday, November 2, 2010. All 435 seats in the United States House of Representatives and 37 of the 100 seats in the United States Senate will be contested in this election along with 38 state and territorial governorships, many state legislatures, four territorial legislatures and numerous state and local races.

The GOP lost heavily in the 2006 and 2008 elections, giving up Congress and the White House. Congressional Republicans were almost unanimous in opposing the key elements of the Obama administration domestic policy in 2009-2010, while generally supporting its foreign policy in Afghanistan and Iraq.

With the economy continuing to falter, support for Obama and the Democrats has suffered significantly. Political analysts in October 2010 predict sweeping Republican gains in the 2010 midterm elections, pointing to the swing that would be generated on current polling, and an "enthusiasm gap" that measures Republican voters to be significantly more engaged than Democratic voters.

2010 US Senate Election Results

Odds are that Democrats will maintain control of the U.S. Senate in the November 2, 2010 elections, but by the slimmest of margins... say, two votes.

But if the political gods are smiling down on Republicans next Tuesday, conservatives could still win enough toss-up races to take the reins of the U.S. Senate in January 2011.

Fact is that a remarkable number of Senate races remain in flux just five days before voters go to the polls, including five races that are entirely unpredictable with polling differences well within the margin of statistical error:

* Colorado, where appointed incumbent Sen. Michael Bennet is narrowly trailing Republican Ken Buck, an attorney and avid subscriber to Tea Party stances on economic issues
* Illinois, where the choice between candidates is admittedly dismal
* Nevada, where media-avoiding, gun-toting, racially-confused Tea Partier Sharron Angle is leading Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid by a couple points
* Pennsylvania, where Democratic Rep. Joe Sestak, retired Rear Admiral and 30-year Navy veteran, has found traction against perennial Senate candidate Pat Toomey, a leader of the conservative slash-government movement
* West Virginia, where Democratic Gov. Joe Manchin has gained momentum against the very wealthy Republican owner of Chairman of the Board of West Virginia Radio Corporation.

But a handful of other Senate races could also unexpectedly put long-time Democratic senators out of office, including:

* California's Sen. Barbara Boxer, running for a fourth term after ten years in the House
* Washington's Sen. Patty Murray, running for fourth term
* Wisconsin's Sen. Russ Feingold, member of the both the Judiciary and Foreign Relations Committees and possibly the senator most respected by progressives, running for a fourth term

What to Expect in 2010 Senate Elections Results
Here's what to firmly expect as you watch Senate election returns next Tuesday evening:

* 1. Expect a few bona fide shocker results.
* 2. Expect results from the raucous Alaska Senate race to not be finalized for days.
* 3. Expect Sharron Angle to claim the election was stolen from her if Harry Reid prevails in Nevada.
* 4. Expect Arkansas, Indiana and North Dakota to elect Republicans to replace Democrats now holding those seats.
* 5. 2. Expect gloating Republicans to declare it a glorious night for conservatives, no matter the results.

And in the 112th U.S. Senate that takes office a bit more than two months from now, expect partisan polarization, legislative gridlock, and ugly rancor the likes of which our country may never have before seen.

My fervent prayer is that these 100 elected leaders will coalesce as patriots who love their country, and lead us back to rational dialog and sensible governance.

My nervous fear is that if the Senate continues on its path of shameful (and apparently shameless) dereliction of duties to the American people, that our great country could be irreparably damaged and even seriously destabilized.

source: Deborah's US Liberal Politics Blog

United States Senate Elections 2010

Elections to the United States Senate are scheduled to be held on November 2, 2010, for 37 of the 100 seats in the United States Senate. A special election for a 38th seat was held in Massachusetts on January 19, 2010, for a term that ends in January 2013.

Thirty-four of the seats are for six-year terms, beginning January 3, 2011, and ending January 2017. They will join Senate Class III, which traces its roots back to the senators who served full six-year terms from March 4, 1789 to March 3, 1795. The other three races are for shorter terms: Delaware ending January 2015, New York ending January 2013 and West Virginia ending January 2013.

After the 2008 elections and their subsequent events, the Senate is composed of 57 Democrats, 41 Republicans, and two independents who caucus with the Democrats. Of the remaining seats up for election in 2010, 19 are held by Democrats (seven of whom are retiring or were defeated in the primary) and 18 are held by Republicans (eight of whom are retiring or were defeated in the primary).

Continuing Incumbents (63)

Senators are elected for six year terms. Roughly one-third of the seats are up for election with each two-year cycle. The following seats are not up in the 2010 election cycle.

Continuing Democrats (40)		Continuing Republicans (23)
Alaska--Mark Begich Arkansas--Mark L. Pryor California--Dianne Feinstein Colorado--Mark Udall Connecticut--Joseph I. Lieberman Delaware--Thomas R. Carper Florida--Bill Nelson Hawaii--Daniel K. Akaka Illinois--Richard J. Durbin Iowa--Tom Harkin Louisiana--Mary L. Landrieu Maryland--Benjamin L. Cardin Massachusetts--John F. Kerry Michigan--Carl Levin Michigan--Debbie Stabenow Minnesota--Al Franken Minnesota--Amy Klobuchar Missouri--Claire McCaskill Montana--Jon Tester Montana--Max Baucus	Nebraska--Ben Nelson New Hampshire--Jeanne Shaheen New Jersey--Frank R. Lautenberg New Jersey--Robert Menendez New Mexico--Jeff Bingaman New Mexico--Tom Udall North Carolina--Kay R. Hagan North Dakota--Kent Conrad Ohio--Sherrod Brown Oregon--Jeff Merkley Pennsylvania--Robert P., Jr. Casey Rhode Island--Jack Reed Rhode Island--Sheldon Whitehouse South Dakota--Tim Johnson Vermont--Bernard Sanders Virginia--Jim Webb Virginia--Mark R. Warner Washington--Maria Cantwell West Virginia--John D., IV Rockefeller Wisconsin--Herb Kohl	Alabama--Jeff Sessions Arizona--Jon Kyl Georgia--Saxby Chambliss Idaho--James E. Risch Indiana--Richard G. Lugar Kansas--Pat Roberts Kentucky--Mitch McConnell Maine--Olympia J. Snowe Maine--Susan M. Collins Massachusetts--Scott P. Brown Mississippi--Roger F. Wicker Mississippi--Thad Cochran Nebraska--Mike Johanns Nevada--John Ensign Oklahoma--James M. Inhofe South Carolina--Lindsey Graham Tennessee--Bob Corker Tennessee--Lamar Alexander Texas--John Cornyn Texas--Kay Bailey Hutchison Utah--Orrin G. Hatch Wyoming--John Barrasso Wyoming--Michael B. Enzi

Retiring Senators (14)

The following Senators either chose not to run for re-election, or were defeated in the primary in their bid for re-election.

Retiring Democrats (7)	Retiring Republicans (7)
Connecticut--Christopher Dodd Delaware--Ted Kaufman (special election) Illinois--Roland Burris Indiana--Evan Bayh North Dakota--Byron Dorgan Pennsylvania--Arlen Spector (defeated in primary) West Virginia--Carte Goodwin (special election)	Florida--George LeMieux Kansas--Sam Brownback Kentucky--Jim Bunning Missouri--Kit Bond New Hampshire--Judd Gregg Ohio--George Voinovich Utah--Bob Bennett (defeated in primary)

Incumbents Seeking Re-Election (23)

The following incumbent Senators are seeking re-election.

Democrats (12)	Republicans (11)
Arkansas--Blanche Lincoln California--Barbara Boxer Colorado--Michael Bennet Hawaii--Daniel Inouye Maryland--Barbara Mikulski Nevada--Harry Reid New York--Chuck Schumer New York--Kirsten Gillibrand (special election) Oregon--Ron Wyden Vermont--Patrick Leahy Washington--Patty Murray Wisconsin--Russ Feingold	Alabama--Richard Shelby Alaska--Lisa Murkowski (defeated in primary, running as write-in) Arizona--John McCain Georgia--Johnny Isakson Idaho--Mike Crapo Iowa--Chuck Grassley Louisiana--David Vitter North Carolina--Richard Burr Oklahoma--Tom Coburn South Carolina--Jim DeMint South Dakota--John Thune