The Comeback Kids: How Dem Senate Hopes Could Hinge On 2010 Reruns
WASHINGTON — Democrats' hopes of retaking control of the Senate in 2016 may well hinge on the ability of a crop of previously defeated candidates to mount political comebacks -- and in some cases prevail against the very same Republican opponents they lost to in the 2010 tea party wave.
In Wisconsin, the emerging Democratic frontrunner is Sen. Russ Feingold, the former three-term senator who was defeated by incumbent Republican Ron Johnson. Last week Feingold left his post at the State Department and signaled in a Facebook note that he's looking at the 2016 Senate race, saying he'll return home and "travel the state extensively" to listen to Wisconsinites about their concerns and "seek their counsel on how I can best further serve my country and the state I love."
In Pennsylvania, an early Democratic frontrunner is Joe Sestak, a former U.S. Navy admiral and two-term congressman who lost to Republican Pat Toomey. Sestak has declared a 2016 bid, although he hasn't courted the national Democratic campaign apparatus, with which he has a bit of a frosty relationship.
In Ohio, Democrats have successfully recruited Ted Strickland, the former one-term governor who was unseated by Republican John Kasich, to challenge Sen. Rob Portman (R). Since announcing his 2016 bid in late February, Strickland has secured the backing of the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee and endorsements from Ohio Sen. Sherrod Brown and Reps. Marcia Fudge, Tim Ryan and Joyce Beatty.
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