2010 Midterm Election Night – Alaskans Just Might Decide Who Owns The U.S. Senate

by Michael Matheron · November 3, 2010

“Sold! I shall name him Democrat.”

Quo Vadis Senate Democrats? As of 2:00 am (EST) here’s what it looks like from here. Despite the networks having anointed as winners Boxer (D-CA-Incumbent) and Toomey (R-PA), I’ve included both races as dead heats – with eventual margins of victory paper thin. Sadly so far, the Republicans (whether “regular” GOP or Tea Partiers (TP)) have picked up four seats, and all their incumbents have won, some by huge margins.

So, it’s 46 R/TP’s, which is what makes the dead heat races below so vital. Simply stated, Democrats must prevail in all of them, without a reversal in Pennsylvania, and if combined with losses in the other three races (CA, CO, WA) the Senate would be in GOP hands (even more than it is now . . .).

Dead Heats (as of 2:00 am (EST):

California [Boxer (D-Incumbent) vs. Fiorina (R)];
Colorado [Bennett (D-Incumbent) vs. Buck (R)];
Pennsylvania [Sestak (D) vs. Toomey (R)]; and
Washington [Murray (D-Incumbent) vs. Rossi (R)]

North to Alaska. Alternatively, given the possible outcomes above, Alaska’s race among GOP “moderate” Lisa Murkowski (running as a write-in), Tea Partier Joe Miller, and Democrat Scott McAdams may, in fact, decide whether the G/TP controls the Senate, or whether VP Joe Biden will be spending much more time in the Senate as a deciding vote. Alaska’s polls close only second to Hawaii’s, and with Hawaii firmly in Senator Inouye’s hands, Alaska may arise as the kingmaker. And that’s no solace – with McAdams (D) running a distant third, there is left only a choice between semi-not-so-bad Lisa Murkowski and complete-Biblically-sized-disaster Joe Miller, Tea Partier extraordinaire.

The Sorrows, the Pities, and the Near Death Experiences.

An Auld Lang Syne for: