ND Breaking Shocker - Dorgan retiring

[Psychic Octopus]

Excellent! Actually, this opens up the possibility of DWTL's prediction coming true...

[Ronnie]

Woooo!!!

Awesome news.

[Hash]

Disappointing, but Hoeven isn't all that bad either for a Republican.

[Lunar]

CRAP

[Lief 🗽]

Could the Obama administration backstabbing Dorgan on drug reimportation have influenced this decision?

[Torie]

Could the Obama administration backstabbing Dorgan on drug reimportation have influenced this decision?

Maybe.  Good point. Dorgan on this was right on this issue in my opinion, but Obama's priority understandably was rounding up 60 votes. Better still would be my proposal to prohibit drug company price discrimination against US consumers, but nobody but me seems interested in that ultimate fix, which would moot all this importation controversy. And that is what this is really about; drug company price discrimination in favor of government monopsony buyers outside the US.

[redcommander]

Great news fro Republicans! It was very gracious of Dorgan to retire and realize that his political career in senate was up rather than risk tarnishing his name in an uphill reelection battle. Hoeven will be a great senator. We just need him to announce he is running already. 2010 can be the next 1980/1994.

[Lief 🗽]

On the bright side (hahahaha), maybe this will convince Dodd to retire as well.

[Deldem]

This sucks. Now it's time to pray that the flood gates don't open. Or that the GOP shoots themselves in the foot somehow.

[CultureKing]

This sucks. Now it's time to pray that the flood gates don't open. Or that the GOP shoots themselves in the foot somehow.

Thankfully I feel like the latter is more likely. Here's to hoping that the tea-party activists ruin the republicans!

[Psychic Octopus]

On the bright side (hahahaha), maybe this will convince Dodd to retire as well.

Lol someone predicted a truth!!

[I spent the winter writing songs about getting better]

Pomeroy was in perpetual danger until 2004 - interesting you post results after that.   

I guess he's the strongest challenger, though I really don't know about other possible Dems - they control a couple of statewide offices, right BRTD? (He's probably our ND expert - especially among Dems).

Only two: Agricultural Commission Roger Johnson and School Superintendent Wayne Sanstead, and the latter is elected on a non-partisan ballot (North Dakota for some reason has an insane number of elected statewide offices, including three elected Public Service Commissioners elected to a 6-year term, so there's one up every two years.) Both have been in office forever though, I remember campaign ads for them in elementary school. Either one is more likely to go for the House seat though, Pomeroy will probably end up the anointed candidate and would most likely beat anyone except Hoeven, the only other candidate I could see posing a threat to him is Attorney General Wayne Stenehjem. In that case though the House seat has to be seen as at least Lean R, unless Johnson or Sanstead run (neither is guaranteed, the only other viable candidate is former Attorney General Heidi Heitkamp) and the GOP nominate someone really bad/have a bloody primary (both likely.)

Actually a bloody primary is pretty much guaranteed unless Hoeven runs, so that should work in the Dems' favor at least.

[Smash255]

Woah! For a second there I thought it was 1994

Yes but Remember in 1994 the GOP had 44 seats and then gained 8 to have a 52 seat majority. Then of course Shelby and Ben Nighthorse Campbell switched making it 54-46 GOP. A swing of 11 seats(KBH won a 1993 Special election)

You also have far fewer Dem seats that are up for election than was in 1980 and far more GOP seats to defend

However the GOP is at 40 not 44 and so we need a 1946 or 1980 to gain control. 1994 isn't enough.

[Filuwaúrdjan]

Dorgan's 67 (will be 68 by the election) and when he clocks off will have been a Senator for, what, eighteen years. Frankly I don't blame him.

[Joe Republic]

Perhaps the Democrats could run his toupée in his place?

[Filuwaúrdjan]

Perhaps the Democrats could run his toupée in his place?

Yeah, as wigs go it's one of the funniest. Though, what is it with American politicians and wigs? Over here politicians tend to go for dodgy combovers instead.

[minionofmidas]

Looks like a wig trying (but failing, miserably) to pass for a dodgy combover.

[JohnnyLongtorso]

Pomeroy was in perpetual danger until 2004 - interesting you post results after that.   

I guess he's the strongest challenger, though I really don't know about other possible Dems - they control a couple of statewide offices, right BRTD? (He's probably our ND expert - especially among Dems).

Only two: Agricultural Commission Roger Johnson and School Superintendent Wayne Sanstead, and the latter is elected on a non-partisan ballot (North Dakota for some reason has an insane number of elected statewide offices, including three elected Public Service Commissioners elected to a 6-year term, so there's one up every two years.) Both have been in office forever though, I remember campaign ads for them in elementary school. Either one is more likely to go for the House seat though, Pomeroy will probably end up the anointed candidate and would most likely beat anyone except Hoeven, the only other candidate I could see posing a threat to him is Attorney General Wayne Stenehjem. In that case though the House seat has to be seen as at least Lean R, unless Johnson or Sanstead run (neither is guaranteed, the only other viable candidate is former Attorney General Heidi Heitkamp) and the GOP nominate someone really bad/have a bloody primary (both likely.)

Actually a bloody primary is pretty much guaranteed unless Hoeven runs, so that should work in the Dems' favor at least.

Johnson isn't in office any more, he resigned to head the National Farmers Union.

[I spent the winter writing songs about getting better]

Ah. Well with Hoeven running it's all moot.

[You kip if you want to...]

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/01/06/ed-schultz-considers-bid_n_413086.html

...North Dakota mustn't have many viable Democrats.

[Brittain33]

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/01/06/ed-schultz-considers-bid_n_413086.html

...North Dakota mustn't have many viable Democrats.

Against Hoeven, it has zero.

[minionofmidas]

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/01/06/ed-schultz-considers-bid_n_413086.html

...North Dakota mustn't have many viable Democrats.

In (what they assume will remain) this climate, versus the strongest candidate around? The viable Democrat's not going to run.

That's the effects of holding all elections on the same date to you.

[Sam Spade]

FWIW, I'm actually going to kind of miss Dorgan. 

Not for the ag pork that is synonymous with plains states (everyone there does that though), but for the recognition of the wrong that was getting rid of Glass-Steagall and for the hard-on against Bernanke's reconfirmation that he showed tonight on MSNBC.

[/agreeing with jfern]