An Ugly Election Ahead for Democrats

Charlie Cook: “The Democrats whom I have talked and emailed with in recent weeks seem increasingly resigned to an ugly midterm election. Of course, it’s not likely to be the wipeout that 2010 was–after all, in the House, the best news for Democrats is that you can’t lose seats you don’t have. After losing 63 seats in 2010 and getting only eight back in 2012, Democrats don’t have that many more they can lose.”

“While the contest for the majority in the Senate has many facets, none is more important than whether Democrats can hold onto any of their six most vulnerable seats: those that are up in states that Mitt Romney carried in 2012. Three of them–the open seats in Montana, South Dakota, and West Virginia–look pretty hopeless for Democrats. The remaining three incumbents–Mark Begich in Alaska, where Romney won by 14 points; Mark Pryor in Arkansas, which Romney carried by 24 points; and Mary Landrieu in Louisiana, where Romney won by 17 points–all look increasingly problematic for Democrats… If Democrats get wiped out in red states, that could be the whole ball game when it comes to Senate control.”