This diary is in response to BooMan’s diary Can We Get Some Female Senate Contenders?
I agree with BooMan that, so far, the situation in 2008 looks very bleak. This is quite a disappointment as we’ve seen in the past that there are strong female contenders out there. In the last cycle Amy Klobuchar and Clair McCaskill have proven this.
As of now it looks like 2008 will be a male year as far as Democratic Senate contenders go. However, I have a feeling that 2010 might become a female year and we might even be able to increase the number of female Senators from currently 16 (11 D and 5 R) to 20. While that’s not a huge number any increase is still historic.
I’ve put together a list of potential female candidates for the 2010 Senate election. I have no idea, of course, what their plans for the future are but they all have more or less clout currently and thus could be potential contenders:
Incumbents up for reelection:
Arkansas: Blanche Lincoln
California: Barbara Boxer
Maryland: Barbara Mikulski
Washington: Patty Murray
Possible female candidates:
Alabama:
State Sen. Vivian Figures
Alaska:
State House Min. Leader Beth Kerttula
Connecticut (should Dodd retire):
SoS Susan Bysiewicz
Treas. Denise Nappier
Comptroller Nancy Wyman
Florida:
State CFO Alex Sink
Rep. Kathy Castor
Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz
Georgia:
Atlanta Mayor Shirley Franklin
Hawaii (should Inouye retire):
Rep. Mazie Hirono
State Senate Pres. Colleen Hanabusa
Idaho:
State House Min Leader Wendy Jaquet
Illinois (currently held by Obama, possibly P/VP):
AG Lisa Madigan
Rep. Melissa Bean
Rep. Jan Schakowsky
Indiana (currently held by Bayh, possibly VP/Cabinet):
?
Iowa:
Lt. Gov Patty Judge
Kansas:
Gov. Kathleen Sebelius
Rep. Nancy Boyda
Kentucky:
State Auditor Crit Luallen
Louisiana:
?
Maryland (should Barbara Mikulski retire):
State Senate Maj Whip Lisa Gladden
Baltimore Mayor Sheila Dixon
Missouri:
SoS Robin Carnahan
Auditor Susan Montee
Nevada (should Reid retire):
AG Catherine Cortez Masto
Treas Kate Marshall
State Assembly Speaker Barbara Buckley
State Sen. Min. Leader Dina Titus
Controller Kim Wallin
New Hampshire:
Rep. Carol Shea-Porter
former Gov. Jean Shaheen
North Carolina:
SoS Elaine Marshall
Education Superintendent June Atkinson
North Dakota (should Dorgan retire):
?
Ohio:
SoS Jennifer Brunner
Rep. Stephanie Tubbs Jones
Oklahoma:
Lt. Gov Jari Askins
SI of Public Instruction Sandy Garrett
Insurance Commissioner Kim Holland
Pennsylvania:
Rep. Allyson Schwartz
South Carolina:
former Education SI Inez Tenenbaum (this would be a rematch)
South Dakota:
Rep. Stephanie Herseth
Utah:
?
Vermont (should Leahy retire):
SoS Deborah Markowitz
State House Speaker Gaye Symington
Male Dems expected to run for reelection:
Colarado (Salazar)
New York (Schumer)
Oregon (Wyden)
Wisconsin (Feingold)
The list is highly speculative but looking at it I wouldn’t be surprised to see at least a handful of the women mentioned above actually run.
Your thoughts?
