RACE FOR THE SENATE – AT 7:53 A.M. ET:  Investors Business Daily has an excellent roundup of where we stand in the Senate races.  They're up to date and the piece is well researched. 

A strong tide should lift Republicans to victories in several Senate races, with polls pointing to an ever-expanding list of states in play.

Of the seats now held by Democrats, Republicans have a good to excellent chance of winning Arkansas, Colorado, Illinois, Indiana, Nevada, North Dakota, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin. Arkansas, North Dakota and possibly Indiana are all but assured GOP pickups. Others, like Illinois and Nevada, remain close in the polls.

Polls out this week show Republicans have a real shot at winning West Virginia while other surveys suggest a New York Senate race is competitive.

The New York possibility is a particular stunner.  However, caution is required.  Dems have made strides in several states recently, as traditional Democratic majorities reassert themselves:

In Delaware, polls all year had Rep. Mike Castle leading Democrat Chris Coons, even though 62% of state voters went for Barack Obama in 2008. But GOP primary voters gave the nod to Tea Party fave Christine O'Donnell. All of the post-primary surveys have given Coons a double-digit lead over O'Donnell.

In California, Sen. Barbara Boxer has led Republican Carly Fiorina in the past six polls, as Democrats' huge party registration edge in the state may be reasserting itself...

...Sen. Patty Murray, D-Wash., has a tough fight vs. Republican businessman Dino Rossi — who narrowly lost races for governor in 2004 and 2008. Elected in 1992 as just a "mom in tennis shoes," she is no longer an outsider. But after trailing in some polls, she holds a slim lead, hitting 50% or above. SurveyUSA has her up 50%-48%; Rasmussen gives her a 51%-46% lead.

The Democrats, knowing that many in their traditional base depend on government programs, are engaging in their usual scare tactics.  "They're gonna take away your Social Security!"  In fact, increasing dependence on government is practically a Commandment on the left, in part because it guarantees victory at the polls.

But polls in West Virginia and New York offer Republicans hope that they could pull out a Senate majority.

Well, we hope so, but we'll see.  It's very tough.  We're not in the predicting business here, but I'm imagining a Senate with 47-48 Republicans.  That would not mean control, of course, but it would probably be enough to block radical legislation.  It's the Supreme Court nominations I worry about...as well as other judicial nominations.

September 24, 2010