Senate majority within reach

I don't want to over-hype this thing.  But those in "generation Y" know where I am coming from.

Ever since the political boom that followed the 2000 election and September 11th that caused millions of youth to suddenly take interest in politics, many new progressives like myself don't even know what it is like to see the Democrats win anything.  Imagine that.  So for our side to be so close to winning this November is enough to make us younger people hardly contain ourselves!  It doesn't mean we predict victory, or that we think we will take back majority in any chamber of Congress at all.  But the enthusiasm is at an all-time high.

Last week, I put together a chart of what the Democrats need to do to win the Senate.  I said that if they win eight of the following ten races -- New Jersey, Minnesota, Ohio, Rhode Island, Pennsylvania, Montana, Tennessee, Missouri, Virginia and Arizona -- then they will capture Senate majority.

Today's Rasmussen Reports U.S. Senate tracker is giving us every reasonto think that the Democrats are just six good weeks of campaigning awayfrom doing it.  Instead of it coming down to ten races, it will come down to only five. If the Democrats win three out of the following five races, then the Senate is theirs.  Here are the races:

• Missouri: Rasmussen puts Democrat McCaskill ahead of GOP Talent by 3%
• Tennessee: SurveyUSA puts Democrat Ford ahead of GOP Corker by 3%
• New Jersey: Quinnipiac puts GOP Kean ahead of Democrat Menendez by 2%
• Virginia: SurveyUSA puts GOP Allen ahead of Democrat Webb by 3%
• Arizona: SurveyUSA puts GOP Kyl ahead of Democrat Pederson by 5%

So two of those five races are now in our favor.  All we need now is one more: New Jersey, Virginia or Arizona -- that is what the election will come down to.  With New Jersey being a blue state and in the Northeast, that is probably our best bet.

Again, I am not getting my hopes up.  Instead, "enthusiastic" is a better word to describe my thoughts right now.  Over the next 49 days, we can work hard to focus our efforts on Arizona, Virginia and New Jersey.  Call into local radio shows, write letters to the local newspapers, comment on local blogs, and help these campaigns.  It's really within our grasp.

This is our last chance to be in a position to hold the Bush presidency accountable before he leaves office.  Many other blogs are focusing on the House.  My attention will be squared almost entirely at the Senate.  Chuck Schumer, Chairman of the DSCC, has done a fine job to keep these races competitive.  Now let's do our part.