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Most Red State Dems Can Vote for Health Care

Only Blanche Lincoln faces 2010 fight, and she'll be a tough sell

By Kevin Spak,  Newser Staff

Posted Nov 20, 2009 9:27 AM CST

(Newser) – The main reason Senate Democrats have a prayer of passing health care reform is that not many of them are up for reelection next year, says Nate Silver. Only a third of the Senate is up for re-election in 2010, and most of the Democrats in that group come from liberal states. Only two Democrats up for reelection come from McCain states: Blanche Lincoln and Byron Dorgan.

Dorgan won’t be a problem, Silver writes on FiveThirtyEight. He’s popular, and “something of a policy wonk,” with possible designs on party leadership positions. Lincoln, on the other hand, hails from a state where reform is unpopular, so she’ll probably be the toughest vote to get. Fellow red-staters Ben Nelson and Mary Landrieu are also wavering, but Nelson doesn’t face reelection until 2012, and Landrieu not until 2014—a political eternity.

Sen. Blanche Lincoln, D-Ark., waits in her seat following a short break during a Senate Finance Committee hearing on health care reform legislation on Capitol Hill, Oct. 1, 2009.
Sen. Blanche Lincoln, D-Ark., waits in her seat following a short break during a Senate Finance Committee hearing on health care reform legislation on Capitol Hill, Oct. 1, 2009.   (AP Photo/Pablo Martinez Monsivais)
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COMMENTS
Showing 3 of 12 comments
tran_tor
Nov 21, 2009 2:56 AM CST
Agree doc, but I'd rather be fooled than my politician bought.
cornelison
Nov 21, 2009 1:37 AM CST
You just can't stand the idea of Americans not dying needlessly anymore, can you. I'm willing to bet that you are willing to die for your ideology by never accepting medical care based on socialism.
cornelison
Nov 20, 2009 8:26 AM CST
How does someone "waver" when it comes to life or death for Americans who have no health insurance?

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