Talk Elections

I'm guessing Alexander and Graham, possibly Collins.

Hopefully Susan Collins, that will make +1 for Dems.

Graham. I reckon Cochran might as well...there's some similarities between him and Lugar.

I think Cochran should be fine.

Price and Gingrey are considering running against Chambliss, though neither of them exactly strike me as spring chickens.

Collins (though it would be a suicide, no one else can win this seat for Republicans) or Graham. Alexander? Possible, but less likely..

Hopefully Mitch McConnell.

And Mike Johanns is from Nebraska, not South Dakota.

I still maintain that Saxby Chambliss is going down to Herman Cain.

Graham, maybe Cochran (if he runs for reelection and gets a strong primary challenge, he could be in trouble), and maybe Chambliss if Price runs against him (I read that Gingrey has quietly made it known that he isn't going to run and even if Price runs, Chambliss would still be favored).  I suspect that most of the damage done by the tea-party this cycle will be done by making the party behave in a highly obstructionist manner and causing the party to nominate weaker candidates for Democratic Senate seats.

Nothing would please me more then Chickenhawk Chambliss losing reelection...

McConnell maybe. Chambliss maybe.

Lindsey Graham, and Maybe John Cornyn , and Susie Collins

He'll never be forgiven for the lies he told about Senator Cleland. Too bad Democrats have literally no one to run against him.

Graham, the state GOP has a deep bench there. Dunno if any of them will actually run though.

Too bad- hope a Republican challenges him in the primary then...

well in 2008 Graham beat a primary Challanger by 66% to 33% so who knows
http://www.ourcampaigns.com/RaceDetail.html?RaceID=212760

That was before the prominence of the tea party in SC politics though.

Barrow maybe?

ah Good point

It couldn't happen to a more deserving guy.

He'd be better off challenging Deal for the Governor's Mansion.

I honestly can't see any of these Senators not being renominated if they run.  Though I can't speak specifically regarding most of them, I'll eat crow if anyone even comes close to unseating Alexander.  The Tea Party tried to knock off the less entrenched Bob Corker in the last election, and he blew past the opposition with over eighty percent of the vote.  There is NO WAY Alexander loses re-election.  Who 
would the Tea Party run against him? Diane Black?  I dare her to try.  She'll lose, and it won't even be close.

Graham because dens have zero chance of winning seat.

Indeed, he might just have a shot against Deal - but that would be the best scenario for him, an open seat is still unattainable, I think.

Also, I agree about Chambliss - there is nothing he can ever do to make up for that vile campaign.

Certainly nothing is impossible, but those that are clicking "Lamar Alexander" must not be very familiar with TN politics. :)

I voted for Graham and nothing else - I think Chambliss could face a challenge though. I doubt Collins loses, the only question up there is whether or not she decides to run.

I hope! When he was leaving Temple, a few friends and I were in a alley, waiting with his car and Mark Block/his cigarette. As Herman jumped into his vehicle, I yelled, "Run for Senate!" He didn't decline.  :)




A pity. I'd love to see a Republican pick up there.

Roll Call has an article on GA. (http://www.rollcall.com/news/speculation_churns_on_chambliss_challenger-219314-1.html?zkPrintable=true)

In addition to Price, Broun has left the door open.

Ugh. Broun makes Akin look sane.

I'm telling you, The Cain Train needs to flatten all of these upstarts. >:(

Karen Handel is also considering a run. (http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/11/21/karen-handel-senate_n_2171170.html)

Hopefully she does- I was quite disappointed when she lost to Deal in the primary.

I'm disappointed that she essentially apologized for her membership in the Log Cabin Republican group.  But she'd be much better than Saxby Shameless.

Just for reference:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hSRbSnrtOHo

Same. I also want to see McConnell and Graham go down.

Chambliss is very publicly discussing possibly voting to raise taxes and how that means he's going to be targeted in the primary. I didn't think a high profile primary was a real option there but now it looks likely. Come on, Cain!

Graham is very likely. Other possibilities are Cornyn and Chambliss. Susan Collins is exactly the Senator the Tea Party would love to challenge, but I don't think even they are that delusional.

Has Grover Norquist ever considered running for Congress?

Saxby Chambliss has committed the mortal sin of defying Grover Norquist. --> http://www.politico.com/news/stories/1112/84176.html?hp=l4 (http://www.politico.com/news/stories/1112/84176.html?hp=l4)

I still hate him for the nasty way he ran against Max Cleland, but as a legislator he is probably the sanest Republican officeholder in Georgia. Their whole House GOP delegation is awful and Nathan Deal is a Dixiecrat convert. The last really solid Republican they had was Paul Coverdell.

Isakson is much better.  He seems a lot like Chambliss ideologically and isn't an evil man who got elected by trying to destroy the reputation on a genuine war hero.

I don't know about uncumbent senators, but I could easily see tea party candidates ruining GOP chances in Arkansas, Loiusiana, North Carolina, etc.

If Cochran doesn't retire, I believe he will face a Tea Party challenge, but I give him a 2/3 chance of surviving it.

If Cochran retires, I imagine the Tea Party candidate will defeat whichever of the Three Stooges from the House runs for the seat.

Chambliss, Graham and Alexander. Collins will most likely retire.

Chambliss and Graham are the only ones that could conceivably lose absent some sort of scandal. Plenty are at risk of some kind of challenge, though (Alexander, Cochran, McConnell, Cornyn, and Risch all could receive a hyped challenge, but none of them will work; I highly doubt that'll happen to any of the first three, though, and I doubt there would be any hype in Idaho. A TP challenge to Cornyn seems very possible but I'm very confident he'll survive. Idaho is the darkhorse possibility that no one notices, a la Alaska 2010).

Thad Cochran is basically an understated version of Robert Byrd - he sends home plenty of "gifts" for his state, but he isn't narcissistic enough to put his name all over them like Byrd did. I think most Mississippi Republicans are aware that were it not for federal dollars being redistributed towards them, their state would be even more of a third world country than it is, even if they don't say it out loud.

Depends on who runs in GA/SC. If there are serious candidates like Tom Price in GA or Tom Davis in SC then that's one thing. Even then I'd put odds on the incumbents- Chambliss more than Graham, since Chambliss keeps a lower profile.

I suppose he's also less obviously gay.

Chambliss is almost begging for a primary challenge at this point.

I highly doubt McConnell will have a serious primary opponent. Paul seems to have made friends with him.

()

I believe Mitch just hired as his campaign manager one of Rand's top aides from 2010 (who also served as a top aide to Ron this year). Rand described it as "very good", saying that "We're excited about it. I think Jesse will do a great job for him." Mitch said that "we've established a very good working relationship." It's not really a new development; Mitch's chief of staff Josh Holmes advised Rand's 2010 campaign, and there was that Frankfort unity rally back then too. That's why Mitch was featured in Ron's tribute video at the RNC, and why Rand was the featured guest at a McConnell fundraiser in March (followed by Mitch headlining a RAND PAC fundraiser later).

Graham is so gone it's not even funny.

McConnell will not be primaried. The Kentucky GOP is his machine. Without Mitch McConnell, it doesn't exist.

Unfortunately, all of these candidates are a target. Tea Party candidacies spring up unannounced and without the help of name recognition. It can happen to any incumbent Republican, for completely unexplained accusations of lacking conservative credentials, and that is why it is dangerous to our electoral viability in the future. The Republican electorate is killing it's own party, almost enough to make one desire killing the primary/caucus hassle and picking our candidates in smoke filled rooms. It would certainly save a lot of resources.

Price and Handel seem to be coordinating their efforts. (http://blogs.ajc.com/political-insider-jim-galloway/2012/11/26/karen-handel-vs-saxby-chambliss-its-possible/)

If Price runs for Senate, Handel could run in the open CD6.

 Apparently, some were trying to talk Erick Erickson of RedState.com into running in GA. (http://www.politico.com/story/2012/11/erickson-wont-primary-chambliss-84445.html?hp=f2) He's passing.

I never believed that- he likes his bullhorn too much, plus RS would be absolutely unreadable if he did.

Collins and Graham, Graham may just retire to avoid losing (SC GOP is too far right for him at this point), and Collins may have an issue where she appeals to the Maine electorate as a whole, but not the ME GOP electorate.. same issue Mike Castle had in Delaware..

I think Alexander (and Sessions) hold only because they have been around a while, aren't terribly unpopular, and the TN GOP isn't that Tea Party controlled( Corker didn't face any significant opposition)

Sessions is also very conservative.

I voted for just Lindsey Graham. Outside of Maine, I don't think any state's Tea Party candidate will put the race in play for the Dems--GA and KY would be the only ones who would make it close.

I have a shocking confession to make about Tom Price. Two years ago I was invited to sit in the President's box at the UGA homecoming game. I was at the buffet and I ran into Tom Price, and being the assertive kinda guy I am I approached him and asked what had happened to the Republican party. He told me he wasn't concerned with sideshow social issues and obstructionism, he only cared about fixing the economy and shrinking the size of government. I was impressed so I liked his page on Facebook a few days later. I just got around to unliking it, as his political grandstanding is exactly the kind of thing he told me he wasn't interested in. He's obviously preparing for a 2014 challenge to Saxby and I hope that if he's successful, the voters won't be fooled like I was. He's a fraud, and his district really isn't as conservative as he thinks it is. I hope his demise comes quickly.

Well she certainly isn't as "disgusted" as Sen. Snowe was by her own party...part of me wonders if she's trying to avoid a primary challenge