Stu Rothenberg writes today that Democrats who may have viewed Christine O’Donnell’s surprise victory over Rep. Mike Castle as the death knell for GOP hopes of taking the Senate should think again.
The GOP needs to pick up 10 seats to gain a Senate majority. Going by the latest poll numbers, Rothenberg writes, Republicans are positioned to pick up six Democratic-held seats — in Arkansas, Illinois, Indiana, North Dakota, Pennsylvania, and Wisconsin — with another six still in play — California, Colorado, Connecticut, Nevada, Washington, and West Virginia.
That ought to scare a lot of Democrats — Colorado and Nevada are deadlocked, California is too close to call, Washington and West Virginia are tightening, as is Connecticut.
“In a year like this, the party with a strong wind at its back normally has a better-than-even chance of winning the jump balls,” Rothenburg writes.
The bottom line: “Senate Democrats can’t take their East Coast/West Coast firewall for granted.“