State

Incumbent

Alabama Alaska Arkansas Colorado Delaware Georgia Idaho Illinois Iowa Kansas Kentucky Louisiana Maine Massachusetts Michigan Minnesota Mississippi Mississippi Montana Nebraska New Hampshire New Jersey New Mexico North Carolina Oklahoma Oregon Rhode Island South Carolina South Dakota Tennessee Texas Virginia West Virginia Wyoming Wyoming Total

Jeff Sessions (R) Ted Stevens (R) Mark Pryor (D) Wayne Allard (R) Joe Biden (D) Saxby Chambliss (R) Larry Craig (R) Richard J. Durbin (D) Tom Harkin (D) Pat Roberts (R) Mitch McConnell (R) Mary Landrieu (D) Susan M. Collins (R) John Kerry (D) Carl Levin (D) Norm Coleman (R) Thad Cochran (R) Trent Lott (R) Max Baucus (D) Chuck Hagel (R) John Sununu (R) Frank R. Lautenberg (D) Pete Domenici (R) Elizabeth Dole (R) Jim Inhofe (R) Gordon H. Smith (R) Jack Reed (D) Lindsey Graham (R) Tim Johnson (D) Lamar Alexander (R) John Cornyn (R) John Warner (R) Jay Rockefeller (D) Mike Enzi (R) John Barrusso (R) 23 Republicans 12 Democrats

Last updated May 16, 2008

Top Tier Senate Races

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Alaska
A wide-ranging public corruption inquiry by the DoJ and FBI has expanded to include not only Sen. Ted Stevens' (R) son/ex-state Senate president Ben Stevens (R), but also a home remodeling project of Sen. Stevens himself. Anchorage Mayor Mark Begich (D) is running against Stevens and is leading in early polls.

Colorado
Sen. Wayne Allard (R) is retiring at the end of his term. The race settled early: U.S. Rep Mark Udall (D) vs. ex-Rep. Bob Schaffer (R). Colorado is trending Democratic, and Udall starts off as a narrow favorite. [COUNCIL FOR A LIVABLE WORLD HAS ENDORSED AND FUNDRAISED FOR MARK UDALL]

Louisiana
Sen. Mary Landrieu (D) is considered to be in trouble because of previous close contests and because so many of her African-American constituents fled the state as a result of Hurricane Katrina. At the end of August, State Treasurer John Kennedy (R) switched to the Republican Party, and formally filed to run for the Senate at the end of November.

Maine
The field is set: Rep. Tom Allen (D) is challenging incumbent Sen. Susan Collins (R). While Collins starts out in the lead, the race is sure to tighten. [COUNCIL FOR A LIVABLE WORLD HAS ENDORSED AND FUNDRAISED FOR ALLEN]

Minnesota
Sen. Norm Coleman (R) is running for re-election, and has very strong competition from Al Franken (D), who had $3.5 million in his campaign treasury at the end of the first quarter of 2008, and college professor Jack Nelson-Pallmeyer (D). Polling shows Franken even with Coleman. The nominating convention will be held in June, and both Democratic candidates have promised to abide by the decision of the convention. Franken’s campaign has been set back by a series of stories about unpaid taxes and insurance of his various business interests. A wild card: former Governor Jesse Ventura has hinted that he may run as an independent in the fall. [COUNCIL FOR A LIVABLE WORLD HAS ENDORSED AND FUNDRAISED FOR FRANKEN]

New Hampshire
Sen. John Sununu (R) faces re-election in a state that turned heavily Democratic in 2006. Former Gov. Jeanne Shaheen (D), who lost to Sununu in 2002, is running, with early polls showing her running well. She raised more than Sununu in the first quarter of 2008, but he has a $4.3 to $1.8 million cash-on-hand lead. [COUNCIL FOR A LIVABLE WORLD HAS ENDORSED AND FUNDRAISED FOR SHAHEEN]

New Jersey
Sen. Frank Lautenberg (D) is running for re-election but is being challenged in the June 3 Democratic primary by Rep. Rob Andrews (D). Lautenberg starts out ahead and is favored in the primary. The primary winner is expected to be the overwhelming favorite against any of the Republicans: Assemblyman Joseph Pennacchio (R), ex-libertarian nominee Murray Sabrin (R), and most recently, former U.S. Rep. Dick Zimmer (R). [COUNCIL FOR A LIVABLE WORLD HAS ENDORSED AND FUNDRAISED FOR LAUTENBERG]

New Mexico
Sen. Pete Domenici (R) is not running for re-election. Rep. Heather Wilson (R) and Steve Pearce (R) are running against each other in a highly negative contest to be decided on June 12. Rep. Tom Udall (D) is unopposed. Udall is the favorite in the November contest.[COUNCIL FOR A LIVABLE WORLD HAS ENDORSED AND FUNDRAISED FOR TOM UDALL]

Oregon
Sen. Gordon Smith (R) is vulnerable. He faces two challengers, Oregon House Speaker Jeff Merkley (D) and activist/ex-DoJ environmental attorney Steve Novick (D). The primary has turned out to be surprising competitive, and either candidate could win on May 20. Former National Endowment for the Arts Chairman John Frohnmayer, has announced he will run as an independent. [COUNCIL FOR A LIVABLE WORLD HAS ENDORSED AND FUNDRAISED FOR MERKLEY]

Virginia
Sen. John Warner (R) has announced he is not running again. The formerly very red state has been moving toward purple. Ex-Governor Mark Warner (D) is running, and is the favorite. The likely Republican nominee is former Gov. Jim Gilmore (R)), although he will get a challenge from Delegate Robert Marshall (R). Early polling shows Warner far out in front, and his fundraising has been going great.

Potentially close contests

Kansas
Sen. Pat Roberts (R) has drawn a major opponent, former U.S. Rep. Jim Slattery (D).

Kentucky
Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R) is being attacked in the state for his pro-war stance, but he is probably safe. However, polls show a close contest against some candidates. Wealthy businessman Bruce Lunsford (D), who previously ran for Governor, is running is businessman Greg Fischer (D) in the May 20 Democratic primary.

Nebraska
Sen. Chuck Hagel (R) is retiring at the end of his term. Former Agriculture Sec./ex-Gov. Mike Johanns (R) is the clear favorite. Rancher Scott Kleeb (D), who lost a House race in 2006, easily beat ex-Republican Nebraska businessman Anthony Raimondo (D) in the May 13 primary 69% - 25%.

North Carolina
State Sen. Kay Hagan (D) easily bested businessman Jim Neal (D) and others in a May 6 primary in the contest against incumbent Sen. Elizabeth Dole (R). Democrats argue that Dole is vulnerable.

Special Elections

Wyoming
After the death of Sen. Craig Thomas (R), Gov. Dave Freudenthal (D) selected '96 candidate/state Sen. John Barrasso (R) as the new Senator. Barrasso will serve until a special election in 2008, after which time the winner of the election will serve the remainder of Thomas' term until 2012. He is being challenged by Casper City Councilor Keith Goodenough (D).

Mississippi
Sen. Trent Lott (R) unexpectedly announced his resignation from the Senate at the end of 2007. The Governor appointed U.S. Rep. Roger Wicker (R) to replace him. The state Supreme Court has ruled that the special election will be held in November. Wicker is being challenged by ex-Governor Ronnie Musgrove (D).

Other Democratic seats

Arkansas
Sen. Mark Pryor (D) will run for re-election unopposed.

Delaware
Sen. Joseph Biden (D) will win in a walk against Christine O'Donnell (R).

Illinois
Dick Durbin (D) is secure against physician Steve Sauerberg (R). .

Iowa
Sen. Tom Harkin (D) has beat back previous serious challengers. This time, he faces a lesser challenge from former state Rep. George Eichhorn (R) and others.

Massachusetts
Sen. John Kerry (D), will romp to re-election, although he faces a challenge from retired Air Force Lt. Col. Jim Ogonowski (R), who ran a close second to Rep. Niki Tsongas in an October 2007 special election.

Michigan
Sen. Carl Levin (D), is in a strong position for re-election against state representative Jack Hoogendyk (R).

Montana
Ex-state Majority Leader Michael Lange (R) has indicated that he will challenge Sen. Max Baucus (D).

Rhode Island
Sen. Jack Reed (D) is safe.

South Dakota
Sen. Tim Johnson (D) returned to work in September 2007 after a long illness, and is running for re-election. While he has won two elections to the Senate by very narrow margins, he has avoided any top tier challenger this time; State House member Joel Dykstra (R) and two other candidates are running. [COUNCIL FOR A LIVABLE WORLD HAS ENDORSED AND FUNDRAISED FOR JOHNSON]

West Virginia
Sen. Jay Rockefeller (D) is secure against ex-state senator Jay Wolfe (R).

Other Republican seats

Alabama
Sen. Jeff Sessions (R) is safe; his likely opponent is state senator Vivian Davis Figures (D).

Georgia
Sen. Saxby Chambliss (R) does not appear to have any serious re-election problem. He is being challenged by DeKalb County CEO Vernon Jones (D), ex-state representative Jim Martin (D), businessman Rand Knight (D) and former television investigative journalist Dale Cardwell (D).

Idaho
Sen. Larry Craig (R), after pleading guilty in August after an incident in the Minneapolis airport, has now announced that he will stay in his seat until his term ends, and then step down. Lieutenance Governor Jim Risch (R) is the leading Republican candidate. The Democratic nominee is '06 LG nominee/ex-Rep. Larry LaRocco (D).

Mississippi
Sen. Thad Cochran (R) is a shoo-in against ex-state Rep. Erik Fleming (D).

Oklahoma
Sen. Jim Inhofe (R) is secure. State Senator Andrew Rice (D) has entered the race, but is far behind in the polls.

South Carolina
Republicans are angry with Sen. Lindsey Graham (R) because of his stance on the immigration bill and other issues, and he may be challenged by businessman John Cina (R). Still, he is safe.

Tennessee
Sen. Lamar Alexander (R) is in good political shape. He faces ex-Knox County Clerk Mike Padgett (D)

Texas
Sen. John Cornyn (R) is probably secure; state Rep. Rick Noriega (D) is running while wealth trial attorney Mikal Watts (D), who put a lot of his own money into the contest, has dropped out.