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Tuesday, May 21, 2013 | 2:11 a.m.

Jamie Dupree's Washington Insider

Posted: 10:32 a.m. Sunday, Oct. 17, 2010

Turning For Home 

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By Jamie Dupree

There's just two weeks and a day left until Election Day, as the pressure cooker that is the 2010 mid-term political campaign starts to boil over even more.

President Obama had a busy weekend of campaigning, hitting Massachusetts on Saturday and making a pair of stops in Ohio on Sunday.  At one, he drew 35,000 people at a rally at Ohio State University - so he can still bring in people.

Today, the President attends a Senate fundraiser just outside the Beltway in Maryland.  Later in the week, he launches a five state swing, going to Oregon, Washington State, California, Nevada and Minnesota.

Will this furious campaigning over the next two weeks make a difference?

One poll from over the weekend suggested otherwise, as an Associated Press survey found that one-quarter of those who voted for Obama in 2008 are thinking about voting for the GOP this time, while only half say they will definitely vote on November 2.

Two years ago, it was Democrats that had a huge edge in money and a big edge in voter enthusiasm.

This year, it's the exact opposite, as Democrats are the ones complaining about money flooding into the political system; back in 2008, it was the GOP bellyaching about that.

Where do the polls stand with 15 days left?  The oddity of this campaign is that the battlefield seems to be expanding for Republicans, instead of focusing on a group of races that might give the GOP an extra seat in Congress.

Political experts Charlie Cook and Stu Rothenberg both reported in recent days that there were almost 100 seats in play in the House - an extraordinary number for this late in the election campaign.

Even more amazing is that of those up to 100 seats - Cook and Rothenberg see no more than 7-9 that are Republican seats.

In other words, it is advantage GOP everywhere you look.

While the GOP certainly won't win all of those, it again speaks to the momentum that Republicans have at this point in time, and adds to my gut feeling that there are probably Democrats who will lose in two weeks who have no idea they are in trouble right now.

As for the Senate, the polling there shifted over the past week, giving Democrats more hope that they can retain the majority, albeit by a slim margin.

Think about where the President is going this week:

Oregon - a blue state
Washington - a blue state
California - a blue state
Nevada - swing state, home to the Senate Majority Leader
* Minnesota - a blue state

It is safe to say that Democrats are playing defense with 15 days left.

 
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