Posts Tagged Deval Patrick

In addition to Sen. Arlen Specter (R-PA) and Gov. Rick Perry (R-TX), both facing stiff competition in primaries and chronicled in detail by The Daily Horse Race, there are a number of other 2010 races with endangered incumbents.

Sen. Blanche Lincoln (D-Ark.) The raw numbers indicate while Lincoln may have trouble being re-elected, Republicans have been unable to find a suitable, top-tier opponent to take full advantage of her weakness. Forty five percent of respondents approve of the job she’s doing; any number under 50% is troublesome for an incumbent.

Deval Patrick (D-Mass.) is another incumbent with bad numbers.  A big supporter of candidate Obama last year, Patrick may have to channel a much more popular Pres. Obama if he hopes to win next year. In a recent poll, Patrick is losing to Massachusetts Treasurer Tim Cahill in a general election matchup–Cahill, a Democrat, has said he’s considering running as an independent.

Chris Dodd (D-CT) is, like Patrick, a rare breed: a Northeastern Democrat in electoral trouble.  While the Democrats have swept many Republicans out of seats, 2010 may change that.  Dodd is facing a credible challenger in former Rep. Rob Simmons.  Once considered virtually untouchable, political prognosticators are saying that Dodd’s decision to move to Iowa during his also-ran presidential campaign hurt his standing in Connecticut.  Subsequent problems, such as the current AIG mess and, earlier, the report that Dodd received a V.I.P. loan from Countrywide have further tarnished his image.

Sen. Richard Burr (R-NC) is like Dodd in that he could be stopped in the general election who stands a chance at beating him, but unlike Dodd, Burr’s challenger is not yet confirmed.  North Carolina Attorney General Roy Cooper is narrowly leading Burr in a recent poll, despite lower name recognition.  After 2004, when Burr won his first term, Democrats have been making inroads in North Carolina, with Obama and newly-elected Sen. Kay Hagan winning there last year.

Interestingly, the challenges are not on purely ideological grounds, as Specter, a moderate, faces opposition to his right, and Perry, a conservative, faces opposition to his left; Dodd, a liberal Democrat, is in trouble from a Republican takeover–but so is Lincoln, a moderate Democrat.