27 October 2010

Midterm Senate Races Pose Tough Challenges for Incumbents

President Obama and Senator Harry Reid wave to the crowd at political rally in Las Vegas October 22. Reid is in a close race to retain his Senate seat.

By Bridget Hunter
Staff Writer

Washington — On Election Day, only 37 U.S. senators will be chosen, but those political contests are among the most contentious in the 2010 elections.

U.S. senators, who serve six-year terms, are divided into three groups for staggered elections. Approximately one-third of the seats are filled every two years.

The U.S. Constitution stipulates that each state, regardless of population, is represented by two senators. Originally, senators were chosen by state legislatures, but in 1913 the 17th Amendment mandated senators be directly elected by the people.

Certain powers are reserved to the Senate, such as ratifying treaties negotiated by the executive branch and trying elected officials, including the president, if the House of Representatives has voted to impeach. Impeachment proceedings require a two-thirds vote of the Senate to remove an individual from office.

As with representatives, the Constitution fixes the qualifications a person must meet to be eligible to be a senator: “No Person shall be a Senator who shall not have attained to the Age of thirty Years, and been nine Years a Citizen of the United States, and who shall not, when elected, be an Inhabitant of that State for which he shall be chosen.”

PARTIES BATTLE FOR CONTROL

In the 111th Congress, 57 seats now are held by Democrats, two by Independents who usually vote with the Democrats, and 41 by Republicans.

Contests in the 2010 midterm elections include 12 Democrats and 11 Republicans seeking re-election and 14 “open” seats (no incumbent running) that currently are split evenly between Democrats and Republicans. Those open seats result from 11 retirements (six Democrats and five Republicans), losses in primary races by two incumbents (Arlen Specter of Pennsylvania and Bob Bennett of Utah) and the decision of Sam Brownback to run for governor of Kansas.

In the summer of 2009s, Democrats had nominal control of 60 votes, the number needed to end a filibuster — a parliamentary procedure that allows senators to continue a debate indefinitely and block voting on a bill or nomination. Filibusters have been used effectively throughout U.S. history, perhaps most famously by Southern senators seeking to block civil rights legislation in the 1960s.

In 1917, senators adopted a rule allowing debate to end, called “cloture,” with a two-thirds majority vote, and in 1975 further reduced the votes needed for cloture to three-fifths (60). Even with 60 senators, a party cannot always prevent filibusters. Senators hold a wide range of political views, and not all party members will favor cloture on the same issues.

 

Senate candidates Marco Rubio, Kendrick Meek and Charlie Crist participate in a debate at the University of South Florida on October 24.

Senate candidates Marco Rubio, Kendrick Meek and Charlie Crist participate in a debate at the University of South Florida on October 24.

Polls suggest Democrats are unlikely to achieve a filibuster-resistant majority in the 112th Congress, which convenes in January 2011, but might well retain a narrow majority.

THE TEA PARTY FACTOR

The tea party movement, a small but vocal group of U.S. voters frustrated with government’s large role in American life and U.S. economic policies, is an important factor in several Senate races.

In Nevada, current Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid faces a strong Republican challenge from tea party-supported Sharron Angle. In a series of acrimonious debates and television ads, Reid portrays Angle (endorsed by former vice presidential candidate Sarah Palin) as an inexperienced extremist, while Angle blames Reid for Nevada’s high unemployment. An added complication is that Nevada is the only state in which voters can select “none of the above” when they cast their ballots.

In Delaware, the tea party might have hurt Republican chances. Thanks to a Palin endorsement and tea party backing, newcomer Christine O’Donnell defeated a longtime Delaware lawmaker to win the Republican nomination, but now may lose to Democrat Chris Coons a seat Republican Party officials earlier had been confident of winning.

The Senate race in Kentucky pits another tea party favorite, Republican Rand Paul, against Democrat Jack Conway in a close race. Further north, Wisconsin’s Democratic incumbent, Russ Feingold, is in a tight contest with Republican businessman Ron Johnson. Feingold is seeking a fourth term in the Senate, while tea party-endorsed Johnson is new to politics.

In Florida, a three-way race pits Republican-turned-independent Charlie Crist, the state’s governor, against Democrat Kendrick Meek, a former state police officer, and former state House Speaker Marco Rubio, the Republican nominee. Analysts credit Rubio’s tea party backing with wresting the Republican nomination away from Crist.

RACES PIT CONSERVATIVE AGAINST CONSERVATIVE

In Arkansas, conservative Democrat Blanche Lincoln’s vote for health care reform makes her a target in 2010. She survived a primary runoff election against the state’s lieutenant governor, but now faces a tough re-election battle with Republican Representative John Boozman. Analysts say this Senate race is as much a referendum on Obama’s policies as on Lincoln’s performance as a senator.

The Louisiana Senate race also has candidates arguing about the president’s policies, but the argument seems to center on who opposes Obama more, incumbent Republican David Vitter or conservative Democrat Charlie Melancon. In the House of Representatives, Melancon voted against health care reform. Vitter, in an odd incident likely distasteful to many of his constituents, publicly apologized to those he had “let down” after his phone number was found in the records of a Washington escort service in 2007.

On November 3, Americans probably will know their new senators and which party will control the Senate for the next two years, but there are no guarantees.

Races sometimes are “too close to call” on Election Day, meaning no winner is projected because the number of votes separating the two candidates is too slim to accurately predict who will win once every vote is counted and the results certified by state authorities.

In 2008, two Senate races remained undecided the day after Election Day. Georgia’s Saxby Chambliss did not secure his seat until after a December runoff election, and the Minnesota contest dragged on for months. Not until June 30, 2009, after numerous recounts and legal challenges, did the Minnesota Supreme Court declare Democrat Al Franken the victor.

(This is a product of the Bureau of International Information Programs, U.S. Department of State. Web site: http://www.america.gov)