In a poll released Wednesday by Project New America, over 60 percent of voters in Arkansas, Illinois, Maine, Nevada, New Hampshire, North Carolina, and Ohio said they strongly support background checks for gun purchasers.
And an overwhelming number of voters said they would be more likely to support candidates for Senate that supported background checks — 70 percent in Maine, 65 percent in North Carolina, 64 percent in Illinois, 64 percent in New Hampshire, 62 percent in Nevada, and 56 percent in Arkansas.
There have been several retirements among Senate Democrats this year. Rockefeller, Tim Johnson of South Dakota, and now Max Baucus of Montana. Many Beltway pundits tell us that means the Democratic majority in the Senate is thus in danger. That may be the case in West Virginia, where Rockefeller is likely to be replaced by Republican Shelly Moore Capito. But in Montana and South Dakota, these retirements have likely increased the Democrats’ odds of holding onto these seats. In South Dakota, former Rep. Stephanie Herseth Sandlin (D) told the Sioux Falls Argus Leader she is seriously considering a run for the U.S. Senate and plans to make her decision soon. She outperforms Johnson in the polls against two likely Republican candidates, turning a sure Republican pickup into a toss-up / Lean Democratic race.
Meanwhile in Montana, Baucus’ retirement presents an opportunity for the very popular populist former Governor Brian Schweitzer to enter the race. And there too, PPPSchweitzer performs better than Baucus in general election matchups against the GOP, turning a sure Republican pickup into a toss up/Lean Democratic race.
In Michigan, a likely gubernatorial pickup for the Dems in 2014, a latest poll shows that even thought a huge majority of Michigan voters don’t know who Mark Schauer (D) and Bart Stupak (D) are, a new EPIC/MRA poll the two unknown Democrats are in a dead heat with Gov. Rick Snyder in head-to-head matchups for the 2014 gubernatorial election. Said pollster Bernie Porn: “If they’re running even with Snyder and no one knows who they are, that’s an indication that Snyder is losing support.”
Rep. Colleen Hanabusa (D-HI) has decided to challenge Sen. Brian Schatz (D-HI) in the Democratic primary next year, the Honolulu Star Advertiser reports.
“Hanabusa was the late Sen. Daniel Inouye’s choice as his replacement, and the senator had urged Gov. Neil Abercrombie to select her just before he died at 88 in December. Abercrombie instead chose Schatz, his lieutenant governor.”.
There is a racial and native v. mainlander aspect to this primary fight that has the potential to get ugly. Fortunately, it still appears that no matter who is the victor, the Democrats should keep this seat as the Republican bench in Hawaii is empty, after former Governor Linda Lingle lost big to Senator Hirono last year.