Senate Majority Still Up for Grabs in November

Don’t Get Carried Away, Neither Party Has Yet Attained an Advantage

By Stuart Rothenberg
Roll Call Contributing Writer
June 21, 2012, Midnight

A slew of retirements and a changing presidential election landscape have made for some ups and downs for the two parties in this year’s fight for the Senate. But the basic contours of the cycle remain the same: The Senate is up for grabs in November.

Republicans who last year looked at the number of seats up in 2012 and assumed that a gain of at least four seats was a slam dunk now surely feel depressed. Conversely, Democrats who sensed doom last fall now have reason to smile.

All of this has caused some to say that the Senate is likely to remain Democratic after November. But before anyone gets carried away with a new round of predictions, it’s best to state the obvious: Neither party is in the position to claim victory. Too many Senate races are still up for grabs for anyone to guarantee that one party or the other will have a majority in the chamber come January.

Where do things stand now?

(More here.)