LePage is a terrible candidate; Maine already hates him. McCaskill wins easily.
McCaskill has a 100 rating from Planned Parenthood, an 87 rating from the ACLU and an F from the NRA. No way she wins WV, KY, TN, AR, LA or MT.
It's all about image. A populist democrat who focuses on kitchen-table economics works for Southern populists, a more left-wing group than you'd imagine. Hillary Clinton holds similar positions and yet was ahead in several of those states.
Only if the economy is firing on all cylinders after Obama's second term does she have a shot of coming within 5 points of the Republican in any of those five states, provided her social positions are unchanged. Hilary was only ahead of Obama in the Democratic primaries in some of those states, not a general election. I'm not sure she could win a general election in any of the states I named with AR, WV and MT being possible exceptions, depending on her choice of VP. My gut tells me LA, AR, TN, KY, and WV will be GOP strongholds (in national elections) for the foreseeable future.
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