Anything can happen in two years, of course, but at the moment it looks like Republicans won't be looking to make up ground in the Senate in the midterm elections of 2010 -- instead, they'll probably be fighting to ensure they don't lose even more seats to the Democrats.
Last week, one incumbent Republican, Missouri Sen. Kit Bond, announced his retirement. This week kicked off with similar news from Ohio's George Voinovich, who will not be running for a third term.
The Voinovich news means at least four Republican seats will be open, as Kansas' Sam Brownback and Florida's Mel Martinez have already made retirement announcements of their own. Brownback's spot, at least, will likely be safe, but the rest are in key swing states that have been trending bluer recently. That puts the GOP in a bad spot -- every dollar spent defending a Republican seat means one dollar not available for a play at a Democratic seat.
Shares