Campaign Diaries

For the final stretch to Election Day, I am launching a new format for my Senate and House ratings. For the past 14 months, I have offered detailed descriptions of every Senate and House race, but that takes me too long for me to be able to update my ratings frequently enough now that the field of play is in constant flux. So I will only list those districts whose ratings is being changed with a brief explanation, and will thus hopefully be able to make this a regular feature over the next 23 days. (Senate and presidential rating changes should both come within 48 hours.)

As is to be expected, the environment continues to be toxic for the GOP and that is leading Democrats to continue making gains at the House level. Of these 9 rating changes, eight favor Democrats and two more GOP-held seats (NY-29 and OH-15) move to the lean take-over category. In some districts the GOP’s headaches are facing are exacerbated by local factors (that is the case for instance in Michigan, where McCain’s pull out means trouble for Reps. Walberg and Knollenberg), while in others Democrats are riding the national wave of voter discontent - how else to explain that the GOP is looking to invest in MN-06 or that the DCCC has poured in money in AZ-03 or NE-02?

Here is an overview of the new outlook:

• Likely/Safe Democratic: 210 seats (+1)
• Lean/Likely/Safe Democratic: 238 seats (+3)
• Toss-ups: 29 seats (-3)
• Lean/Likely/Safe Republican: 168 seats
• Likely/Safe Republican: 157 seats (-2)

IN-09, lean Democratic to likely Democratic: Republicans have not been able to gain as much traction as in past years for what is the fourth straight match-up between Baron Hill and Mike Sodrel. Hill won in 2002 and 2006, Sodrel won in 2004. Barack Obama’s unexpected strength in the Hoosier State has undercut the GOP’s hope that presidential coattails would carry Sodrel through the finish line as they did in 2004, not to mention that Hill will benefit from Obama’s strong ground game while the McCain campaign has spent little time organizing Indiana. Recent independent polls have found Hill leading by double-digits.

MI-09, lean Republican to toss-up: Rep. Knollenberg’s prospects have collapsed over the past month. This is a swing district (Bush prevailed with 51% of the vote in 2004), and it is filled with Reagan Democrats - one of the constituencies that have been moving to the Democratic Party because of the financial crisis. And McCain’s decision to pull out of the state is devastating for Knollenberg, who was partly relying on the presidential campaign’s turnout effort to mobilize his own supporters. Democratic candidate Peters has been polling ahead or even; Peters leads by 11% in a DCCC poll, but the DCCC’s internal numbers in many districts have been far more favorable for Democrats than those of other firms; an independent poll and an internal poll for Peters find the race within single digits. That sounds more believable, but what also seems certain is that Knollenberg is way under 50% - in fact, he looks to be stuck in the low 40s, deadly territory for an incumbent, especially when he can’t count on a superior ground game to help him.

MN-06, likely Republican to lean Republican: Democrat Elwyn Tinklenberg is a solid contender but he had failed to get much traction up until now, and Rep. Bachmann was considered relatively safe this year, but the NRCC evidently does not feel this way as they are reportedly divesting resources out of highly competitive MN-03 and into MN-06. That will certainly help protect Bachmann (especially if the DCCC doesn’t move in) but it still signals that she is more endangered than expected.

NE-02, off the map to lean Republican: Democrats have been mentioning this race for a while, but this is conservative enough a district for a Republican incumbent to be given the benefit of the doubt. But the DCCC’s unexpected decision to invest significant resources in the race - they have already spent more than $200,000 - puts it on the list of competitive races, especially when you combine the DCCC’s investment to Obama’s efforts in the state (the presidential campaign has opened 2 field offices in Omaha, forcing Sarah Palin to come and campaign). Democrats are making a rare push to organize Omaha, and that puts NE-02 in play.

NV-02, likely Republican to lean Republican: Nevada Democrats are riding the momentum of big registration gains, while Republicans are being weighed down by the unpopularity of their governor, not to mention the GOP’s national difficulties. That gives an opening to Jill Derby, who is back for a rematch in this conservative district. An independent poll recently found Rep. Heller leading but under 50% and in single-digits, so the race is certainly competitive.

NY-29, toss-up to lean Democratic: Republicans currently hold six seats in the Empire State, and Democrats have been targeting four of them - including three in upstate New York. Of these four seats, NY-29 is the only one featuring an incumbent. Rep. Kuhl barely survived the 2006 cycle, and Democrat Eric Massa is back for a rematch. It is never easy to topple an incumbent, but New York’s Republican Party is in disarray and Kuhl looks highly vulnerable. Three polls released over the past week (one by SUSA, one by Research 2000 and one released by Democrats) show Massa leading outside of the margin of error, with Kuhl in the low 40s. That’s not a good place to be for an incumbent. Add to that the DCCC’s commitment to fund this race, and Democrats have a slight edge.

OH-15, toss-up to lean Democratic:  If the political environment didn’t favor Democrats, Republicans would be very well positioned to defy the odds and retain this district. Mary Jo Kilroy hasn’t been a strong campaigner (she was favored to pick-up the seat in 2006 but fell short in one of the GOP’s most unexpected victories of the cycle) and Republican state Sen. Stivers is a strong recruit. But this is not a neutral year, and any Republican would face an uphill fight in an open seat in a swing district like OH-15. A recent SUSA poll and an internal DCCC poll find Kilroy leading by single-digits, and that is where the race should be on paper as well: Kilroy underperforming but able to hold on to a slight lead. Add to that the DCCC’s commitment to win this seat over (they have already spent more than $1 million dollar!), and the picture looks even bleaker for the GOP.

TX-07, off the map to likely Republican: An independent poll showing a single-digit race and an incumbent under 50% is enough to warrant a race a place in these ratings. This contest could still move up depending on how aggressive Democrats are at pursuing it, but this is certainly an unlikely district for them to score a pick-up.

WA-08, toss-up to lean Republican: This should be one of the Democrats’ top priorities this cycle. Rep. Reichert barely survived against Democratic challenger and netroots favorite Darcy Burner in 2006 (51% to 49%) and Burner is back for a rematch. She has proved a solid fundraiser, and Obama should help bring out the Democratic base. In the current pro-Democratic climate, races like this should be moving towards Democrats; yet, multiple independent polls (including a couple from SUSA and one from Research 2000 released this week) find Reichert with a comfortable lead and hovering around the 50% mark. One explanation is that the heavy fire Burner endured in 2006 left her with high negative ratings and too bruised to mount as strong a challenge this year. Second, the Chamber of Commerce is targeting the Democrat with a sizable $400,000 ad buy, while the DCCC has not inexplicably not spent any resources on Burner’s behalf.

Full ratings available here.