There are a series of primaries happening tonight and it reminded me that the 2010 mid-term elections are almost here.  While the Massachusetts Senate election drew a lot of attention, it was a special election and not part of the election cycle for the rest of the nation.  With one-third of the Senate seats, all of the House seats, and 36 Governor seats up for grabs, this mid-term election cycle should be interesting and exciting.

In the Massachusetts Senate 2010 special election, the nation was surprised to see Scott Brown win to fill the vacancy left by the death of Ted Kennedy.  What other surprises are we in for this year?  Could Vice President Joe Biden’s seat go to a Republican?  How about the Pennsylvania Governorship?  Will the Democrats lose control of the Senate?  There are many scenarios waiting to unfold by November this year.

The one race I am really interested in is the Nevada Senate race where Majority Leader Harry Reid currently trails the two Republican primary candidates.  Republicans Danny Tarkanian and Sue Lowden have both been polling around 10 points higher than Reid in recent weeks, even though he has been raising and spending millions of dollars in his quest for six more years in office. 

As I did with the 2008 Presidential primaries and election, I will track these races to the best of my ability so you can stay up to speed.  Obviously I won’t be able to track all of the House races, but I will highlight some of the more interesting ones as we go along.  I will, however, create a tracking post for the Gubernatorial and Senate races so we can see who the individual candidates are and track to see how well the parties do when the election day arrives.

Speaking of parties, I will also track down as many of the third-party candidates as well.  The Libertarian, Constitution, Green, and Reform parties often attempt to create a beachhead in national politics during the Congressional races.  And while we are talking parties, I’m looking forward to see if the Tea Party movement will put up their own candidates this year, or if they will simply be placing their weight behind various Conservative or other candidates.

The Massachusetts 2010 election served as our springboard into the mid-term elections this year.  It is time to turn our attention away from a single state and start watching the races nation wide.  How will the balance of power shift in ten months?  Stay tuned to find out.

Congratulations to Senate-elect Scott Brown on an astounding victory last night.  He performed better than I though, coming in with a 5% lead over his competitor Martha Coakley.  Not only did he win the election, he won the seat held by Ted Kennedy for 46 years.  But I think some people are jumping ahead of themselves at the moment and proposing the following:

That’s right.  The dust hasn’t even settled from yesterday’s election and people are already wondering if he will run for President.  What is this rush for instant escalation in political power following an election?  The same question was brought up when Bob McDonnell won the election for Governor of Virginia last year.  Is the Republican party seriously in need of a leader?  Is the media seriously looking for the face of the Obama opposition?

Unfortunately, I do not have an answer for either of those questions.  But for the Republicans who are already clamoring over Brown hoping that he will put his hat in the right, let me remind you of something.  One of the biggest complaints Republicans had over then-Senator Obama was that he had very little national/political experience.  This was the same argument made by Democrats over Sarah Palin.

True, Brown has 18 years of political experience within the Massachusetts political environment, meaning he isn’t new to the limelight.  He has served in the Army National Guard, providing him with leadership experience and serving abroad.  But much of this is localized experience.  If we reflect back on the 2008 election, candidates had started campaigning as early as 2006.  If that climate repeats itself for the 2012 election, campaigning will begin this year (probably right after the midterm elections).  That means Brown would only have 10 months as a US Senator before seeking the nomination of the Republican party.

That is too fast, especially for a politician that we don’t fully know yet.  Give Brown time to serve in office and, if he feels the urge, then run for office in 2016.  In the mean time, let the man focus on the pending issues that are awaiting him when he is sworn in next week.

Much like the Virginia and New Jersey Governor’s races last year were watched carefully as if they were a referendum on President Obama’s performance to date, the same is true in Massachusetts with the special election to fill the Senate seat held by Ted Kennedy.  The initial impression was that Martha Coakley was going to easily slip in and finish out the rest of Kennedy’s term.  After all, what was the likelihood that a Republican would win in the Massachusetts, let alone Ted Kennedy’s seat?

Scott Brown was elected to the state Senate in 2004 after serving six years in the state House of Representatives.  He won his Senate seat in a special election when the incumbent resigned.  If he were to win tomorrow, this would be the second Senate seat he has won during a special election (interesting talking point). 

Up until last month, he was trailing behind Coakley by double-digit points in the polls, but a series of gaffes by his Democratic candidate and a mismanaged campaign has allowed him to close the gap.  In fact, some late polls this week and weekend show Brown leading by up to 9 points.  But the only poll that counts is the one tomorrow … when the voters make their pick.

I’m not sold on the latest polls showing Brown is in the lead.  He has definitely closed the gap and picked up many independent voters, but will that be enough to overcome the “Kennedy seat” mindset?  Currently, all the House and Senate seats from Massachusetts are held by Democrats, meaning Brown’s victory would be a coup for the Republicans.  This would be the third major upset for the Democrats after sweeping power in 2008 and could foreshadow things to come.

Can he do it?  Maybe, but I’m thinking Coakley carries this by less than 2%.