More Shop Talk

The Tennessee Senate race for Fred Thompson’s seat is one of the reasons the midterm elections are just too close to call.

“The Republicans had this as a safe seat until Fred Thompson dropped his bombshell, and now there isn’t anybody who sees this as a safe seat,” University of Tennessee political scientist Bill Lyons said.

Tennessee is a swing state that leans Republican. Voters chose George Bush over native son Al Gore two years ago, and both senators are Republican, as is a majority of the House delegation.

Polls suggest Clement would beat Bryant in a fall matchup but lose to the well-known Alexander.

ABC News has some decent coverage here. Whether or not you trust ABC, they have all the races handicapped in one nifty space.

Their polls show only five toss-up races out of 34, three Democrats and two Republicans. However, the Republicans have four senators not seeking re-election: Jesse Helms, Strong Thurmond, and Phil Gramm in addition to Thompson. Frankly, the Republicans won’t miss any of them but Thompson, and him merely for his star power.

If you read this site often, you’ll know I make bold predictions based on just a few facts — and often get it pretty close to the truth. But if you ask me which party will control the Senate come next January, I can only say I’ll have another cocktail and give it some more thought.