Democrats Hope Presidential Coattails Help Retake Senate
- Republicans must defend seats in six states won twice by Obama
- Ohio and New Hampshire are shaping up as toughest fights
Hillary Clinton whispers to Senator Charles Schumer (back to camera) during nomination hearings before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee on Jan. 13, 2009, in Washington.
Photographer: KAREN BLEIER/AFP/Getty ImagesIf Senator Chuck Schumer is going to fulfill his dream of running the U.S. Senate, he will likely have to rely on the performance of sometime-rival, sometime-friend and fellow New Yorker Hillary Clinton.
The Democrats’ leader-in-waiting needs to pick up five seats to win outright control of the Senate from the Republicans. He’s got a national map teed up for a takeover if the party’s presidential nominee can inspire a Barack Obama-level performance, whether it’s Clinton or Vermont independent Senator Bernie Sanders. Schumer could also benefit from a Republican Party at war with itself.