In terms of 2014 overall race for control of the Senate, CQ Roll Call’s Niels Lesniewski quotes National Republican Senatorial Committee Chairman Jerry Moran, “I think we have a good map in the sense that we have good candidates and good states. The map has expanded over time. In my view, [it] started out with six or seven — now 10 or 12.”
As Roll Call also points out, the GOP is looking good in South Dakota, West Virginia and Montana and is doing better than expected in Iowa and Colorado, while pushing Democrat incumbents in Arkansas, Louisiana, North Carolina and Alaska.
Beyond that, Republicans are hopeful in Michigan, New Hampshire, Minnesota and a couple others, though Democrats remain favored in each of those.
The real key at this point is not that the GOP must, or even will win all of those races. What matters most is that the Democrats are already being forced to expend time, effort and financial resources across a broader front than expected in what most have always conceded is going to be a tough election year.
Obama may still be a proven fund raiser but he hasn’t been able to raise his poll numbers at all.