09-21-2008, 07:30 PM
Peter, I agree. There's going to be some interesting shifts this year. My state, which has been reliably blue (particularly the region of my state, ultra-progressive western Washington) both locally and nationally, Democrats have been able to safely consider us in their pocket for generations, isn't safe this year, it went from being a strong Democratic state to a weak Democratic state, the two parties running alarmingly close earlier this month, which reportedly had Howard Dean pulling his hair out.
The Washington State Governor's race is up for grabs, too. It nearly went to popular moderate Republican Senator Dino Rossi last election, he lost by only a few hundred votes after a third recount. Unpopular incumbent Democrat Governor Christine Gregoir is facing him this election, and even with her 2/3 Democratic majority, could likely get turned over by Rossi this time.
If this is any indication of what's going on in traditional Republican states, too, it's a much different kind of election than we've seen in a long time. As you suggest, key states that have been solid red aren't so certain anymore. States on both sides are at risk of coming out of the pocket. Which isn't a bad thing, nobody likes to feel like their vote is taken for granted. Maybe it'll contribute to boosting voter turnout.
The Washington State Governor's race is up for grabs, too. It nearly went to popular moderate Republican Senator Dino Rossi last election, he lost by only a few hundred votes after a third recount. Unpopular incumbent Democrat Governor Christine Gregoir is facing him this election, and even with her 2/3 Democratic majority, could likely get turned over by Rossi this time.
If this is any indication of what's going on in traditional Republican states, too, it's a much different kind of election than we've seen in a long time. As you suggest, key states that have been solid red aren't so certain anymore. States on both sides are at risk of coming out of the pocket. Which isn't a bad thing, nobody likes to feel like their vote is taken for granted. Maybe it'll contribute to boosting voter turnout.