Democrats Who Should Be Worried

Senate majority leader studying Corzine for cues to effective negative campaign

(NEWSER) - Harry Reid, his re-election campaign wilting in the polls, is getting ready to rumble: The Senate majority leader is promising an intensely negative campaign against the 2010 GOP challenger for his Senate seat. With his $8.7 million war chest—the largest ever for a Nevada statewide race—Reid will “vaporize” his opponent, an aide tells Politico. “I think he will do anything to win,” an analyst concurs. Well, “anything legal to win.” More»

Guess who's No. 1?

(NEWSER) - When it comes to the most covered candidates of the midterm elections, is it any surprise that Tea Partiers claim five of the top 10 slots? The Pew’s Project for Excellence in Journalism analyzed the election stories produced by 52 TV networks, websites, radio stations, and newspapers since Jan. 1 and added up those in which a candidate was featured in more than 50% of the story. Its results:

1. Christine O’Donnell: the lead newsmaker in 160 stories
2. Meg Whitman: 90 stories
3. Rand Paul: 88 stories
4. Joe Sestak: 85 stories
5. Sharron Angle: 80 stories

These races will decide just how good the GOP's night is

(NEWSER) - It’s Election Day, folks, and we're here to give you the low-down. All eyes are certainly on the Senate, where Democrats have a chance to keep their majority, provided they can win a few close races. Here's what's happening, according to the Washington Post , complete with links to our patented story grids on each race. More»

Senators quietly maneuvering to move in if leader goes down

(NEWSER) - Capitol Hill housemates Charles Schumer and Richard Durbin are likely to end up fighting over a lot more than the breakfast cereal if Harry Reid loses his re-election battle. The senators from New York and Illinois, Reid's top two deputies, are subtly building support for bids to become majority leader—while publicly throwing their full support behind Reid, the New York Times reports. Schumer has donated $500,000 to the Nevada Democratic Party and Durbin has kicked in $50,000. More»

It's a long shot, but many races competitive, Lieberman could switch

(NEWSER) - It still isn’t likely—OK?—but suddenly it's "within the realm of speculation” that the Republicans could recapture the Senate in November. With Mark Kirk’s primary win in Illinois and competitive races in Colorado, Pennsylvania, and California, a 10-seat pickup is now a distant possibility, Jim Vandehei and Alexander Burns write in Politico . And insiders tell them former Sen. Dan Coats will challenge Evan Bayh in Indiana, spicing up the fray. More»