Your dream Senate candidates for 2008?

[Alexander]

This is part 2 of my preferred 2008 situation. There are 21 Republican seats and 12 Democratic seats up for grabs.

Like the other one, I'm thinking strategy as well as personal preference.

Here's mine.

Alabama (Jeff Sessions-R): Artur Davis

Alaska (Ted Stevens-R): Tony Knowles

Arkansas (Mark Pryor-D): Incumbent

Colorado (Wayne Allard-R): Mark Udall

Delaware (Joe Biden-D): If he runs again, incumbent, if not, Beau Biden

Georgia (Saxby Chambliss-R): Shirley Franklin

Idaho (Larry Craig-R): Jerry Brady

Illinois (Dick Durbin-D): Incumbent

Kansas (Pat Roberts-R): John Moore (I already indicated my preference for Sebelius in a Cabinet position for 2009)

Kentucky (Mitch McConnell-R): Greg Stumbo

Louisiana (Mary Landrieu-D): Incumbent

Maine (Susan Collins-R): Tom Allen

Massachusetts (John Kerry-D): If he runs again, incumbent, if not, Barney Frank

Michigan (Carl Levin-D): If he runs again, incumbent, if not, Jennifer Granholm

Minnesota (Norm Coleman-R): Al Franken

Mississippi (Thad Cochran-R): Gene Taylor

Montana (Max Baucus-D): Incumbent

Nebraska (Chuck Hagel-R): Bob Kerrey

New Hampshire (John Sununu-R): Jeanne Shaheen

New Mexico (Pete Domenici-R): Bill Richardson

New Jersey (Frank Lautenberg-D): Incumbent

North Carolina (Elizabeth Dole-R): Mike Easley

Oklahoma (James Inhofe-R): Dan Boren

Oregon (Gordon Smith-R): Peter DeFazio

Rhode Island (Jack Reed-D): Incumbent

South Carolina (Lindsey Graham-R): Inez Tenenbaum

South Dakota (Tim Johnson-D): If he runs again, incumbent. if not, Stephanie Herseth

Tennessee (Lamar Alexander-R): Harold Ford

Texas (John Cornyn-R): Barbara Ann Radnofsky

Virginia (John Warner-R): Mark Warner

West Virginia (Jay Rockefeller-D): Incumbent

Wyoming (Mike Enzi-R): Dave Freudenthal

[TayTay]

1. Barney Frank is too old to run for the Senate

He's 65. I would like to see Jim McGovern or Martha Coakley run.

[Arkana]

2. Kennedy's retiring--I expect one of them to run for his spot

or, dare I say it...Deval Patrick?

[Alexander]

3. That's not in 2008, though.

Teddy's not up for re-election until 2012.

[Arkana]

12. Right--that's why I think Patrick may go for it in '12.

Kerry's not going to lose--he's too well entrenched (and liked), so Coakley and McGovern may have to wait until '12.

[Swamp Rat]

4. George Carlin and Dave Chappell

:D You said, "Your dream Senate candidates." :D

[William769]

5. Florida (Mel Martinez)

ANYONE BUT THIS ASS WIPE!

[Alexander]

8. Agreed, but Mel's not up for re-election until 2010.

[William769]

11. Well I guess that just goes to show my distaste for him!

Sorry.

[David Dunham]

6. Al Franken would not play well as a candidate. He's too abrasive.

[Alexander]

10. Got anyone else in mind?

[Rowdyboy]

7. As a Mississippian, I'd like to suggest an alternative to Gene Taylor....

Former state attorney general Mike Moore is as good as it gets politically in this state. He's known, still very popular, and aggressive and telegenic candidate and known to be interested in running for a senate seat.

Taylor is a great guy, though somewhat like Jim Webb in his political ideology (a bit conservative and unpredictable). Also, if Taylor ran, his congressional seat would be hopelessly lost. No other Democrat in the state would stand a chance to take this seat-I'm still not entirely sure how Taylor won except that it was a special election and he campaigned his ass off).

[Alexander]

9. I picked him because of how conservative he is.

In the reddest of red states, we need Dems who will appeal to the red-state voters.

I'd like to know more about Mike Moore, and how liberal he is compared with the rest of Mississippi. I may have picked Taylor out of ignorance, so if you have any info about Moore, I'd appreciate it.

As far as Taylor's seat is concerned, I'd be willing to lose one House seat if it meant getting a Senate seat in Mississippi, of all places. At this point, we have a much bigger surplus of House seats than we do Senate seats.

My goal is to make even the reddest of red states competitive, the same way we won Montana and Virginia (and maybe Wyoming's CD). That way the RNC will be so tied up throwing money at these races that the more flippable ones, like Minnesota and New Hampshire, will be ours.

[Rowdyboy]

13. Oh, you're instincts are right on....Taylor is one of only 4 state Democrats

I can envision winning a statewide senate seat. The others are Moore, former Rep and current party Chairman Ronnie Shows, and current attorney general Jim Hood.

Moore's a populist, and initiated the original lawsuit against "Big Tobacco" that recovered many billions of dollars from them for all 50 states.

Any one of the 4 men could potentially win statewide, depending on that year's partisan climate. In 2008, it all depends on the Dem presidential nominee.