Presidential Demolition Derby Obscures Senate Races

When there is a demolition derby going on in the infield, it is admittedly hard to remember that the real race will take place on the track that surrounds it. So, it is little wonder that the media and the public are focused on the Republican presidential contest to the almost complete neglect of the U.S. Senate primaries and campaigns.

The obsessive establishment media focus on the presidential race is to be expected; a demolition derby is great entertainment. However, for Tea Party and grassroots conservative activists (who are motivated to make a difference for their country), this cycle, the Senate Republican primaries and campaigns are the main event.

Including the two liberal Independents, there are 23 Democrat-held Senate seats up for election this cycle. To take the majority in the chamber, Republicans must win a net of four seats -- and while the open seats and competitive races would seem to give Republicans the advantage, there is no guarantee of a Republican, let alone conservative, victory.

Right now, political futures marketplace Intrade has a Republican takeover of the Senate at 75 percent, but the Democrats aren’t going quietly. According to The Hill, during the last reporting period, vulnerable Democratic Senators Sherrod Brown (Ohio), Jon Tester (Montana), Debbie Stabenow (Michigan), Claire McCaskill (Missouri), and Bill Nelson (Florida) each brought in over $1 million for their reelection bids.

There are nine races that are seen as real general election toss-ups: Massachusetts, Virginia, Wisconsin, Missouri, North Dakota, Montana, New Mexico, Nevada and Hawaii. To win control of the Senate, Republicans must hold the Scott Brown seat in Massachusetts and the Dean Heller seat in Nevada as well as pick-up such solid prospects as Montana, North Dakota and Virginia among the toss-ups -- plus add the Republican-leaning open seat in Nebraska.

But for real working control of the Senate, Republicans need more than a one-vote majority, and that means putting more Democratic seats into play. With the right conservative candidate, Florida, Michigan and Ohio could also be strong Republican prospects -- and all three are states where Tea Party backed candidates did well in the 2010 Congressional elections.

And translating that Tea Party and grassroots conservative strength into action in the Senate primaries will be the difference between electing a small government, constitutional conservative-leaning Senate majority and electing more business-as-usual big government Republicans.

In Texas, Ohio, Nebraska and Wisconsin, conservative candidates have already earned the endorsement of Tea Party inspiration Senator Jim DeMint, but there are many other states (such as Missouri, Utah, Indiana, Michigan, Virginia and Florida) where good Tea Party candidates are running and beginning to get traction in the Senate primaries.

As Jim DeMint famously said, a good President without a conservative Senate is a waste of a good President. For Tea Party and grassroots conservative activists seeking to change Washington’s culture of spend, borrow and tax, the main event is on the big "oval" of the Senate campaigns and the present presidential primary demolition derby is a warm-up to that big race.