Just a day after Al Franken finally got his ticket to become the 60th member of the Senate Democratic caucus, Republican hopes for reversing the trend next year were dealt another setback when former New Hampshire Sen. John Sununu decided he won't try for a comeback next year. Sununu, who lost to Democrat Jeanne Shaheen in 2008, was considered the GOP's best hope for holding onto the seat of Republican Sen. Judd Gregg, who plans to retire rather than seek reelection.
The New Hampshire seat will still be competitive, and Gregg is trying to recruit Attorney General Kelly Ayotte to face the likely Democratic nominee, Rep. Paul Hodes. But Republicans in the Northeast are becoming as scarce as jobs in Ohio. Apart from Gregg and Maine's two moderate madam senators, they're awfully hard to find. Which is one reason why Republicans keep trying to talk Gregg out of retiring (without success thus far).
In fact, the landscape doesn't look good for the GOP in 2010, as we've noted in this space before. They'll do well to just hold on to the 40 seats they have, let alone score big gains.
Sign up for Kiplinger’s Free E-Newsletters
Profit and prosper with the best of expert advice on investing, taxes, retirement, personal finance and more - straight to your e-mail.
Profit and prosper with the best of expert advice - straight to your e-mail.
At least that's the way it looks now. Rhodes Cook, an analyst who studies the past to understand the present and future, has an interesting look at modern trends and concludes that a Republican comeback could come a lot sooner than most pundits think. Cook notes that the situation also looked bleak for the GOP after the 1964, 1976 and 1992, but in each case the party bounced back in a big way. At the same time, he warns, this won't happen unless Republicans move rapidly to find leaders and messages that can draw support from beyond the party's conservative core. Stay tuned.
-
Take Charge of Retirement Spending With This Simple StrategyTo make sure you're in control of retirement spending, rather than the other way around, allocate funds to just three purposes: income, protection and legacy.
-
Here's How To Get Organized And Work For YourselfWhether you’re looking for a side gig or planning to start your own business, it has never been easier to strike out on your own. Here is our guide to navigating working for yourself.
-
AI Regulation is Looming: Kiplinger Economic ForecastsEconomic Forecasts Find out what Washington and regulators have planned for artificial intelligence.
-
The Biden Tax Plan: How the Build Back Better Act Could Affect Your Tax BillPolitics Depending on your income, the Build Back Better Act recently passed by the House could boost or cut your future tax bills.
-
Kiplinger's 2020 Election ForecastPolitics For nearly a century, The Kiplinger Letter has forecasted the outcome of presidential elections to keep readers informed of what's coming and what it means for them. Here's our call for 2020.
-
The 2020 Election and Your MoneyPolitics We’ve assessed how the presidential candidates’ stances on financial issues will affect your wallet.
-
5 HEROES Act Provisions with a Good Chance of Becoming LawPolitics The massive federal stimulus bill just passed by the House of Representatives is "dead on arrival" in the Senate. But a few proposals in the bill have enough bipartisan support to eventually become law.
-
Vote by Mail: A State-by-State Guide to Absentee Ballot VotingPolitics With health authorities recommending people continue to social distance, the idea of voting by mail is becoming an increasingly hot topic.
-
9 Ways COVID-19 Will Change the 2020 ElectionsPolitics The 2020 election will be like no other in history, as the COVID-19 pandemic will upend the business of politics as usual.
-
How to Run for Local OfficePolitics If you’ve ever thought that you could do a better job than the elected officials currently in office, here’s how to launch a campaign—and win.
