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North Dakota Senate 2010

Crystal Ball Outlook: Safe R

Democratic candidates: Tracy Potter, state Senator

Republican candidates: John Hoeven, Governor of ND

Recent updates from the Crystal Ball

Update: May 20, 2010

Automatic pick-up for the GOP, from retiring Democratic Sen. Byron Dorgan to Republican Gov. John Hoeven. A real ho-hum affair, to the Republicans’ delight. SOLID REPUBLICAN GAIN.

Update: April 8, 2010

Automatic pick-up for the GOP, from retiring Democratic Sen. Byron Dorgan to Republican Gov. John Hoeven. A real ho-hum affair, to the Republicans’ delight.

Update: November 19, 2009

Should Gov. John Hoeven (R) decide to challenge Sen. Byron Dorgan (D-ND), then Dorgan would face his strongest foe ever. Hoeven leads in early match-ups, though Dorgan will stress his seniority in the majority party caucus for his small state. A Dorgan-Hoeven contest would become a headliner small-state Senate battle, with many millions spent to influence a relative handful of voters.

Update: February 19, 2009

Byron Dorgan (D-ND): There is no reason to believe that this politically invincible Democrat in a heavily Republican state won’t continue to win. The small state of North Dakota understands the seniority system better than most. Remarkably, Dorgan has been in statewide office continuously since 1969, as tax commissioner, then U.S. Representative, and since 1993 as senator. Still, if Gov. John Hoeven (R-ND), now in his third popular term as chief executive, were to decide to make the run for Senate, it would be a barn-burner. DEMOCRATIC HOLD. If Hoeven runs, COMPETITIVE.