Retiring Senators

Amy Klobuchar Becomes 4th Sitting Senator In 2026 Running For Governor Of Their States

Ronald 1 Comment

The announcement by Minnesota Democratic Senator Amy Klobuchar that she is running for Governor, makes her the fourth sitting US Senator who is choosing, if the voters agree, to transfer from the legislative branch to being Chief Executive of their state governments.

The other three sitting Senators taking the same path are:

Michael Bennet (D) Colorado
Marsha Blackburn (R) Tennessee
Tommy Tuberville (R) Alabama

Klobuchar has been in the Senate since 2007, and if she were to fail to win the election this fall, she would keep her seat in the Senate, secure until 2030. She is a national figure, due to her run for the Presidency in 2020. The odds are heavy in her favor to win the Governorship of a state strongly “Blue”, and to succeed Tim Walz.

Michael Bennet has been in the Senate since 2009, and would keep his seat until 2028 if he lost the Governorship, but is heavily favored to win what is a largely “Blue” state. He also was a Presidential contender in 2020.

Marsha Blackburn has been in the Senate since 2019, and would keep her seat until 2030 were she to lose the Governorship race, which is unlikely. She also served in the House of Representatives from 2003-2019.

Tommy Tuberville has been in the Senate since 2021, and his former football coach background insures that he will, very likely, win the Alabama Governorship, just as his one Senate term ends in 2026.

With the likelihood that all four Senators will win their state Governorship election, and adding the nine Senators who are retiring from the Senate at the end of 2026, that means at least 13 Senators will be newly elected this November.

This does not include the contended Senate seats, which could bring about up to another 4-8 newly elected Senators.

So we are witnessing what could be one out of every five Senators being new to the body, and as it is now, at least one of every eight!

There have been, historically, 2,018 Senators, and after these meidterm elections, they will be greater than 2,030 in number!

Massive Turnover In The US Senate In Past Three Two Year Cycles!

Ronald 3 Comments

The US Senate is a fascinating institution with a long, distinguished history of exciting personalities and significant historical actions.

But the US Senate is now in the midst of so much turmoil and upheaval that its image and reputation are in great danger of being irreparably harmed for the long run!

46 percent of the Senate membership will have changed since the inauguration of Barack Obama as President in 2009, including the announced retirements over the next two years, and the likelihood of possible defeats of sitting members in primaries or reelection contests in 2014 making an even higher percentage than 46 percent by the beginning of the 114th Senate in 2015!

Retirement has been the most utilized method of leaving the Senate, including such luminaries as the following:

Evan Bayh, Chris Dodd, George Voinovich, Judd Gregg in 2010

Kent Conrad, Kay Bailey Hutchison, Herb Kohl, Joe Lieberman, Olympia Snowe, Ben Nelson, Jon Kyl in 2012

Tom Harkin, Frank Lautenberg, Jay Rockefeller, Saxby Chambliss, Carl Levin in 2014

Defeat has been another way to remove members of the Senate, including:

Russ Feingold, Blanche Lincoln, Arlen Specter, Bob Bennett in 2010

Scott Brown, Richard Lugar in 2012

Death has also taken away the following:

Robert Byrd, Edward Kennedy by 2010

Daniel Inouye by 2012

Moving to other positions in government or political groups include:

Sam Brownback, Hillary Clinton, Joe Biden, Ken Salazar by 2009 or 2010

Jim DeMint by 2012

John Kerry by 2013

Altogether, the totals are as follows from 2009-2014

Retiring: 25
Defeated: 6
Dying: 3
Resigning: 12

46 and counting, when one adds the likelihood of the defeat of some sitting Senators in primaries or elections in 2014, making HALF the Senate likely having changed since the 111th Senate met in January 2009!

And the statesmanship and experience that will be lost will be replaced by many Senators unwilling to negotiate or compromise, a hallmark of the historic Senate, which played such a major role in American history!

The Democrats And The US Senate: Major Challenge For 2012

Ronald 2 Comments

The Democrats face a major problem in 2012 regarding their control of the United States Senate.

With only 53 seats, including those of Joe Lieberman of Connecticut and Bernie Sanders of Vermont; with 23 seats to be defended as compared to 10 for the Republicans; and with seven Democratic incumbents retiring, it will be a massive challenge to avoid losing the Senate, and also to avoid a major GOP landslide leading to their dominance over the Senate for the long term future.

Along with Senator Lieberman, the following Senators are retiring: Daniel Akaka of Hawaii, Jeff Bingaman of New Mexico, Kent Conrad of North Dakota, Herb Kohl of Wisconsin, Ben Nelson of Nebraska, and Jim Webb of Virginia.

Only two Republican Senators are retiring: Kay Bailey Hutchison of Texas and Jon Kyl of Arizona.

The other 24 seats are being defended by incumbents–8 Republicans, 15 Democrats, and Independent Bernie Sanders.

Some of the seats for the Democrats are considered “safe”, but among those worrisome are: Bill Nelson of Florida, Debbie Stabenow of Michigan, Claire McCaskill of Missouri, Jon Tester of Montana, Sherrod Brown of Ohio, Maria Cantwell of Washington, and Joe Manchin of West Virginia.

The Republicans in trouble include: Richard Lugar of Indiana, Scott Brown of Massachusetts, Olympia Snowe of Maine, Dean Heller of Nevada, and Orrin Hatch of Utah. Ironically, it is the Tea Party Movement which threatens the nomination for another term of Lugar, Snowe, and Hatch, who otherwise would probably be cinches for reelection, but if they lost the primaries in their states, the seats could go Democratic. Brown has a tough competitor in Elizabeth Warren in an extremely heavy Democratic state, which sees many “insulted” that a Republican, admittedly moderate, took over Ted Kennedy’s Senate seat. Heller in Nevada has the tough Congresswoman Shelley Berkley, who represents much of Las Vegas, the bulk of the population of the state, opposing him in a difficult battle.

While a major victory by either candidate for President could turn the tide for other Senate seats, it is extremely unlikely that the Republican nominee could win by enough of a landslide to take away more Democratic seats, but an Obama landslide, not out of the realm of possibility, could have a dramatic effect on the final Senate totals.

The point is that IF the Republicans won all seven Democratic seats in danger and kept all their seats, they would have 54 members of the Senate to 45 Democrats and one Independent (Sanders).

On the other hand, IF the Democrats kept all their seats and won the five contested GOP seats, the Democrats would have 58 seats including Sanders, and the Republicans would have 42 seats.

So the swing of seats from 53-47 Democratic could be as much as 58-42 Democratic or 54–46 Republican. So the range could be 12 seats, and remember that this third of the Senate would remain there for six years, so whichever party gains seats could be dominant for the long term.

Of course, in theory, every seat defended could be victorious, but also the odds that all seven retired seats for the Democrats would go Democratic is very problematical. So in actuality, IF all seven Democratic seats went to the Republicans, it could be a true disaster as then at a maximum, there could be a division of 61-39 Republican in the Senate.

On the other hand, if the five contested GOP seats went Democratic plus the two retiree seats, and everything else worked out for the Democrats, highly unlikely, then they could have a 60-40 Democratic Senate!

So therefore, the swing could be seven maximum for the Democrats from what they have now, while the GOP could gain fourteen maximum.

In either case, there would be such dominance that it would affect the Senate for many elections to come, no matter what happens in 2014 and 2016, and affect the agenda of the next President in a positive or negative way!