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    9
    Jul
    2010
    10:17am, EDT

    First Read's Top 10 Senate takeovers

    From NBC's Chuck Todd, Mark Murray, and Domenico Montanaro
    If it's Friday, it's time for another First Read Top 10 list -- this time our monthly look at what we consider the Top 10 Senate takeovers (i.e., one party losing control of a Senate seat and the other party gaining it). The big mover here is Florida, given the growing chance that Charlie Crist (I) could very well win this race. Caveats: The three-way contest is highly unpredictable, and we still don't know with which party Crist will caucus. But if the GOP nominee, Marco Rubio, loses the race, it's hard to see how that isn't a takeover. The number in parentheses is our ranking from last month.

    1. North Dakota (1): John Hoeven (R), come on down.
    2. Delaware (2): This race has been quiet, and that only favors Mike Castle (R).
    3. Arkansas (3): Passage of Wall Street reform will be a feather in Blanche Lincoln's (D) cap, but she remains the underdog to John Boozman (R).
    4. Indiana (4): Brad Ellsworth is up with his first TV ad criticizing lobbyists (see: Coats, Dan). But what is the bigger albatross in Indiana right now: being a lobbyist or being a supporter of the Democratic agenda?
    5. Nevada (5): Is Harry Reid (D) vs. Sharron Angle (R) the purest Senate toss-up in the country? The winner might need just 45% (with "None of the above" on the ballot).
    6. Pennsylvania (7): If Nevada isn't a pure toss-up, then this race probably is. Joe Sestak's (D) advantage: the Dem registration edge in the state. Pat Toomey's (R): the national environment and the GOP edge in the gubernatorial contest.
    7. Florida (unranked): The longer the BP story plays out and the closer the Meek-Greene Dem primary becomes, it's hard to believe how that doesn't help Charlie Crist's indie bid.
    8. Illinois (6): We're unsure what's worse -- Alexi Giannoulias' (D) bank woes or Mark Kirk's (R) constant misrepresentations about his record?
    9. Washington (10): The GOP now has chances to win in California, Washington, and Wisconsin, but Dino Rossi (R) is probably the strongest of all the Republicans running in these blue states.
    10. Ohio (8): Lee Fisher (D) has a serious money disadvantage vs. Rob Portman (R), but does Ted Strickland in the gubernatorial contest push Fisher over the finish line?

    The other races we're watching (in order of likely takeover): Colorado, Kentucky, Missouri, Wisconsin, California, New Hampshire, Connecticut. Wow, this competitive Senate field gets bigger and bigger, and you can now add West Virginia. Oh, and this doesn't include Louisiana, which could pop given the intense media scrutiny David Vitter is under these days.

    128 comments

    Very scary times since NASA's new mission is to make Muslims feel good about their contribution.....to what I don't know.

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Chuck Todd

Chuck Todd became NBC News’ political director in March 2007. He also serves as NBC News' on-air political analyst for "NBC Nightly News with Brian Williams," "Today," "Meet the Press and MSNBC, including "Hardball with Chris Matthews."

Mark Murray

Mark Murray is NBC News' Senior Political Editor. Since joining the network in 2003, he has reported on and written about political races, trends, and issues -- including the 2003 California recall, the 2004 Bush-Kerry presidential race, the 2006 midterm elections, the 2008 presidential contest, the 2010 midterms, and the 2012 presidential race.

Domenico Montanaro

Domenico Montanaro is NBC News' Deputy Political Editor. He writes, reports and edits for First Read, the network's political blog, provides editorial guidance for NBC's broadcast shows and online content, and appears on air. He has covered the 2008 and 2012 presidential elections for NBC and has reported from Capitol Hill.

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