Democrats have a winning candidate for this open seat in Richard Carmona. Dr. Carmona, a former U.S. surgeon general and decorated Vietnam War veteran, worked his way up from poverty to graduate first in his class from medical school. He became one of the most highly decorated law enforcement officers in Arizona, winning the National Top Cop and the National SWAT Officer of the Year awards. Even though Dr. Carmona has never run for office, a recent poll showed him just four points behind GOP Rep. Jeff Flake, 40-36. Dr. Carmona is already leading 56-19 among Hispanic voters. Flake is taking heat from some extreme Republicans. Flake previously was an advocate for comprehensive immigration reform but recently flip-flopped his position to cater to extreme right-wingers. Flake’s brazen flip-flop led a conservative challenger – wealthy Mesa businessman Wil Cardon – to enter the race. Cardon has promised to spend whatever it takes to beat Flake.

Senator Feinstein is up for re-election. Feinstein is a strong voice on equal rights, health care and the environment and promotes policies aimed at strengthening California’s middle class and creating good-paying jobs for Californians. Republicans will struggle to make this race competitive regardless of whom they nominate.

Independent Democrat Sen. Joe Lieberman announced that he will not seek re-election. Connecticut is a very blue state, and Democrats have a deep bench of possible candidates. U.S. Rep. Chris Murphy, former Secretary of State Susan Bysiewicz and State Representative William Tong have announced their candidacy and the Democratic nominee will be in a strong position to win this seat because of Connecticut’s Democratic leanings. 

Democraic Senator Tom Carper is up for re-election after winning Delaware by a margin of 41 points in 2006. Senator Carper has a strong record creating jobs, promoting green energy and strengthening America’s middle class.

Senator Bill Nelson has been a strong voice for seniors, consumer protection, the environment and strengthening Florida’s economy. A December Public Policy Polling survey showed Nelson beating each of his possible Republican opponents by double digits. Even former Republican Senator Mel Martinez of Florida has praised Nelson’s reelection chances. Republicans are bracing for a divisive, bloody primary that will force their nominees too far to the right for Florida voters. The Republican field is filled with flawed candidates who carry a lot of baggage to the race. They include former State House Majority Leader Adam Hasner, former U.S. Senator George LeMieux, and Rep. Connie Mack IV. Hasner faces ethical charges and has been one of the most outspoken advocates of the Republican plan to end Medicare. LeMieux is being attacked by the other candidates as a “Charlie Crist Republican.” And Mack is taking fire from his fellow Republicans for shifting views on immigration, supporting earmarks and voting to raise his own salary while in Congress. Other candidates include former Army Colonel Mike McCallister, who is gaining support among Tea Party activists by championing the Republican plan to end Medicare, and businessman Craig Miller, who has suggested that the minimum wage should be ended.

Hawaii is the President’s home state and is one of the most Democratic states in the country. Congresswoman Mazie Hirono has a strong record fighting for jobs and hardworking Hawaii residents.   She’s an effective campaigner and has been endorsed by the Hawaii AFL-CIO and EMILY’s List and has the support of Senator Dan Inouye.  Former Republican Governor Linda Lingle has announced her candidacy and is already facing heat for nominating Sarah Palin for Vice President at the 2008 Republican convention and for smearing Barack Obama during the 2008 campaign.  

Senator Dick Lugar is facing a serious Tea Party primary challenge this year from “Tea Party Hero,” Republican State Treasurer Richard Mourdock.  Mourdock has the backing of a majority of the state’s GOP leaders and endorsement of the Tea Party Express, setting up a nasty intraparty fight. The conservative Club for Growth has already run television ads attacking Lugar in hopes of helping the Tea Party candidate win the primary.  A bloody primary would backfire on the Republicans, giving Hoosier State Democrats a good chance to pick up a red seat in a state President Obama carried in 2008. Democratic Congressman Joe Donnelly is running for the seat. No one has a stronger record fighting for working families than Donnelly.  He has run and won some of the toughest races in the country in the past 3 cycles. Donnelly’s candidacy is great news for Hoosiers and for Democrats, who plan to turn Indiana blue once again.

Polling shows that Olympia Snowe of Maine is unpopular with Maine Republicans and vulnerable to a primary challenge in a state that supported Barack Obama over John McCain by more than 17 points. Meanwhile, Democrats are already taking on Snowe on a number of issues. Former three-term Secretary of State Matthew Dunlap criticized Snowe’s votes against the payroll tax cut and her “present” vote on confirmation of Richard Cordray as head of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau in his campaign launch. The other Democrat in the race, state Rep. Jon Hinck, said Snowe has lost touch with Maine by “supporting Wall Street windfalls over working families.”

Senator Ben Cardin is a national leader on health care, fiscal issues and retirement security. He has been a tireless fighter for the middle class and for job creation. Republicans will struggle to be competitive in Maryland, especially during a presidential election.

Elizabeth Warren, a longtime consumer advocate and passionate defender of the middle class, is rallying grassroots Democratic activists. And recent polls show Warren leading incumbent Sen. Scott Brown. In 2010, Brown rode a Tea Party wave into office in a low-turnout special election to replace the late Sen. Ted Kennedy. But Brown’s priorities are all wrong. He is beholden to special interests, even working behind the scenes to weaken the Wall Street reform bill. He’s been a rubber stamp for the Republican Party’s radical budget-cutting proposals, including cuts to Medicare and Social Security. Expect this red seat to turn blue in November.

Senator Debbie Stabenow is a fierce advocate for Michigan’s economy, fighting to help businesses invest and create jobs in the state. She is also a strong champion for the American auto industry, and has helped lead the charge to protect the Great Lakes from invasive species. Democrats maintain a seven point advantage in Michigan. Lobbyist and former U.S. Representative Pete Hoekstra, who lost the 2010 Republican gubernatorial primary to a Tea Party challenger, has announced his candidacy. But Hoekstra is already feeling the heat from Clark Durant, a Tea Party favorite who is mounting an aggressive primary challenge to Hoekstra. Within just days of announcing his candidacy, Durant sharply criticized Hoekstra for his vote for the Wall Street bailout, support for the “Bridge to Nowhere” and increase federal spending overall. Polls show Stabenow leading all Republican candidates.

As chief prosecutor in Hennepin County, Minnesota’s largest county, and now as a U.S. senator, Amy Klobuchar has brought the values she learned growing up in Minnesota to her work every day. She has fought for job creation and economic development, and worked to provide veterans with the benefits they deserve. Even Republicans like Minnesota’s former Senator Norm Coleman have conceded that she will be tough to beat.

Republican Sen. Roger Wicker is up for re-election in Mississippi. In the height of hypocrisy, Wicker has demanded that government spending be cut while also serving as one of the Senate’s top earmarkers.

No one has fought harder to protect taxpayers and hold government more accountable than Senator Claire McCaskill. She has one of the best personal brands in politics and has proven time and again that she knows how to win close races.  Republicans are bracing for a bloody primary between three weak candidates – former State Treasurer Sarah Steelman, Congressman Todd Akin and businessman John Brunner. Steelman has come under fire for her office’s mishandling of official records from her tenure as state treasurer. The documents have gone missing and she has refused to come clean about their whereabouts. Todd Akin is one of the leading proponents of the disastrous Republican plan to end Medicare and has an extreme voting record that puts him far outside the mainstream. Brunner is coming under fire for touting his business experience even as his company made a round of lay offs in October. "Once your campaign website dubs you 'John the Job Creator,' the optics of your own company announcing a round of layoffs are not good," wrote the National Journal's Hotline On Call.

During his first term in the Senate, Jon Tester has earned a reputation as a straight-talking, hardworking, common sense United States senator who gets things done. Senator Tester is a champion for rural veterans, a pioneer in transparency and cleaning up Washington, and a forceful advocate for creating jobs and new opportunities in Montana. His opponent, Representative Dennis Rehberg, is a Tea Party Caucus member who believes Pell grants are the “welfare of the 21^st century.” Rehberg is also known for suing Montana firefighters and opposing aid for 9-11 heroes. He may be a great representative for Republican special interests in Washington, but he long ago turned his back on Montana’s families. 

After years of public service, Senator Ben Nelson is retiring. Nelson fought to expand alternative energy and improve Nebraska’s economy by boosting American farmers. A bitter Republican primary between lackluster Tea Party candidates will make the race competitive for Democrats. Attorney General Jon Bruning, Treasurer Don Stenberg, State Senator Deb Fischer and investment advisor Pat Flynn are already running, and the eventual nominee will enter the general election poorly positioned. Bruning, the GOP frontrunner, has been criticized by both Democrats and Republicans over allegations that he misused his position as Attorney General. Bruning’s investments became the subject of a formal ethics complaint after Bruning failed to disclose a $675,000 vacation home that executives helped him buy. The investment came just after Bruning helped the same company by having a $1 million dollar settlement waived as Attorney General. Bruning was also lampooned nationally after he made comments comparing welfare recipients to scavenging raccoons.

This seat is a top pick-up opportunity for Democrats. Over the past decade, Democrats have gained a strong demographic and structural advantage in Nevada. President Obama won the state in 2008 by 12 percent, and Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid overcame an adverse political climate for Democrats to win in 2010. Congresswoman Shelley Berkley’s number one priority is to create jobs in Nevada, but she is also known for her incredible advocacy for seniors and veterans. Shelley is running a strong campaign, consistently outraising her Republican opponent, appointed Senator Dean Heller. In the wake of a sex scandal and possible criminal and ethics violations, Republican Sen. John Ensign resigned, and Heller was appointed to his seat. As a congressman, Heller voted to cut more than 6,000 Nevada jobs, slash job training programs and stop the closing of Yucca Mountain. Worst of all, he has fully embraced the Republican plan to end Medicare in order to pay for tax breaks for the rich and oil companies and even bragged that he voted for it twice, once in the House and once in the Senate.

Senator Robert Menendez is a fighter for New Jersey’s middle class, especially in the areas of economic development, public education and clean energy development. So far, Republicans have failed to recruit any top tier candidate in the race. It is a sign that few Republicans think a Republican can win statewide with Obama on the top of the ticket in 2012.  New Jersey’s Democratic tilt and Senator Menendez’s tireless advocacy for New Jersey families will keep this seat blue in 2012.

Republicans are preparing for a bloody primary fight pitting D.C. establishment Heather Wilson against Lieutenant Governor John Sanchez, a darling for the Tea Party. Wilson is a creature of the Republican establishment, who was named one of the most corrupt members of Congress before losing in the primary for U.S. Senate in 2008, while Sanchez’ views put him far outside the mainstream. President Obama won the state by double digits in 2008. His campaign is planning an aggressive turnout operation in 2012. Democratic Congressman Martin Heinrich and State Auditor Hector Balderas are competing for the nomination.

Senator Kirsten Gillibrand is up for re-election for a full term in New York after being elected to fill the remainder of Secretary of State Hillary Clinton’s term with more than 60 percent of the vote. Gillibrand has worked hard on behalf of the middle class, pursuing a “Made in America” jobs agenda, retirement security, quality public education, increased government transparency and getting women more involved in the political process. Gillibrand is doing a stellar job of representing New York, part of the reason why no credible Republican challenger has emerged.

Democrats have an excellent chance of holding this open Senate seat with the entry of Heidi Heitkamp into the race. Heitkamp is a reform-minded and independent voice who is widely known across the state for her tough, principled leadership as Attorney General. Heitkamp won each of her Attorney General races with at least 62% of the vote. The state has a history of electing Democrats to the Senate. Democratic Senator Kent Conrad is not running for another term after fighting for North Dakota for the past 30 years.

The establishment choice for the Republican nomination is Congressman Rick Berg, who was just elected to the House in November 2010 and is already asking North Dakotans for a promotion. Berg faces a primary challenge from within his own party, and a DSCC poll showed that 55 percent of North Dakotans give the Republican Congressman a negative rating for his job performance. In fact, Berg’s net job approval is a negative 22 points.

Senator Sherrod Brown is up for re-election in Ohio. Brown has spent his career standing up for the middle class and taking on the special interests to create opportunities for Ohio’s working families. His leadership on issues like job growth, fair trade and consumer protection are central to the challenges facing Ohio. The frontrunner for the Republican nomination is absentee State Treasurer Josh Mandel, who has only served one year of the four-year term he promised to serve. Mandel has seen his campaign rocked by a series of missteps and ethics charges. He has drawn fire for shady campaign contributions, including a $1,000 contribution from a Nazi re-enactor. Mandel has also been accused of using taxpayer resources for political purposes and of hiding his income from voters. Recent polling shows Brown gaining support and expanding his double-digit lead over Mandel. A strong campaigner, Brown’s deep connection to the state will carry him through to victory in 2012.

Senator Bob Casey is in a strong position going into his re-election race. He has one of the most recognizable names in Pennsylvania and has spent his career fighting for the middle class in this blue tinted state. Casey’s sterling reputation, high poll numbers and fundraising ability have forced all top Republican recruits to take a pass on the race.

Senator Sheldon Whitehouse is up for re-election in Rhode Island. Senator Whitehouse has fought for policies to grow the economy, create jobs and increase investments in clean energy. His record coupled with Rhode Island’s strong Democratic tilt will make it difficult for Republicans to be competitive in 2012.

Republican Sen. Bob Corker is up for re-election in Tennessee after barely winning a nasty and expensive race against Democrat Harold Ford Jr. in 2006. Corker strongly supports cutting taxes for America’s top wage earners and corporations.

Republican Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison will not seek re-election in 2012. Texas has been dubbed by political pundits as the next big swing state because of the state’s rapid demographic changes. Republicans will be hampered by a crowded and costly Republican primary that will force all the Republicans to cater to the extreme right wing Tea Party in Texas.

Republican Sen. Orrin Hatch has drawn the ire of Tea Partiers and is expected to face a battle for the Republican nomination in Utah. A recent poll showed most voters would prefer to replace rather than re-elect Hatch.

Independent Senator Bernie Sanders is up for re-election in Vermont. Sanders is the longest-serving independent in United States Senate history and is a strong voice for the environment, health care, and fair trade policies. Sanders caucuses with Democrats in the Senate and Republicans will have a tough time making this race close in 2012. A Public Policy Poll in August found that Sanders has one of the best home-state approval ratings in the Senate.

Democratic Senator Jim Webb – who has been a true advocate for Virginia – announced he would not seek re-election earlier this year, paving the way for former Virginia Governor Tim Kaine to jump in to the race. As governor, Kaine improved Virginia’s economy, helped bring business to the state and made education and the environment top priorities. Virginia was named one of the best managed states in the nation during Kaine’s time as governor. Meanwhile, Republicans face a bloody primary between a Washington insider, former Sen. George Allen, and a longtime conservative stalwart, state Delegate Bob Marshall. Allen’s long record of increasing spending and growing the national debt will make him vulnerable against Marshall in the primary.

Democratic Senator Maria Cantwell is up for re-election in Washington.  Senator Cantwell is a leader in efforts to boost renewable energy and jumpstart the economy with investments in new, clean technologies. She is also a strong voice for the middle class, fair trade policies and the environment. Cantwell is a tireless campaigner with high approval ratings in the state.  Several top Republicans have already passed on challenging her in 2012. Cantwell’s sole Republican challenger, Michael Baumgartner, has a history of taking extreme positions that place him far outside the mainstream in Washington.  

Democratic Senator Joe Manchin – who served as West Virginia’s governor – is immensely popular in West Virginia among Democrats, Republicans and Independents. And his focus on creating jobs in West Virginia will be a valuable asset going into 2012. Meanwhile, businessman John Raese – who lost to Manchin by 9 points in 2010 – is again running for the Republican nomination. Raese – a fierce critic of government spending – nonetheless accepted government assistance at his own companies. He also flew his private jet in from his Florida home to file his candidate papers – a fact unlikely to impress West Virginia voters.

In Wisconsin, Senator Herb Kohl announced he will not seek re-election in 2012. Though Senator Kohl’s leadership will be missed, the DSCC is confident that Congresswoman Tammy Baldwin will be elected to the seat. Baldwin has a long record of standing up for the middle class, fighting to preserve Medicare and Social Security for Wisconsin seniors, and bringing jobs and new business to Wisconsin. There is no place in the country where Republicans have more clearly overplayed their hand than in Wisconsin.

Republican Sen. John Barrasso is up for re-election in Wyoming. Barrasso strongly opposes health care reform, which closes the Medicare Part D “doughnut hole” for seniors, allows children to stay on their parents’ policies until age 26 and protects people from losing coverage due to “pre-existing conditions.” Barrasso also supports tax cuts for the wealthiest Americans.