Survey USA has followed up its poll of all 50 governors and their approval ratings with a
poll of all 100 senators.
Let's look at the ones up for election in 2006, starting with the ones in "safe" seats that no one is planning on targeting.
DEMS
Daniel Akaka (HI) - 62/24
Tom Carper (DE) - 63/23
Dianne Feinstein (CA) - 52/33
Ted Kennedy (MA) - 61/34
Herb Kohl (WI) - 59/31
Joe Lieberman (CT) - 65/28
GOP
John Ensign (NV) - 49/34
Orrin Hatch (UT) - 61/32
Kay Bailey Hutchison (TX) - 64/26
Trent Lott (MS) - 65/29
Richard Lugar (IN) - 61/26
Olympia Snowe (MN) - 71/24
The only surprise here is Ensign's poll weakness - Ensign is a talented former congressman who nearly beat Harry Reid in 1998 and won his seat easily in 2000. Nevada Dems will be angling to win the governor's race anyway.
DEMS TARGETED BY GOP
Jeff Bingaman (NM) - 60/28
Robert Byrd (WV) - 63/32
Maria Cantwell (WA) - 55/30
Hillary Clinton (NY) - 65/30
Kent Conrad (ND) - 71/22
Ben Nelson (NE) - 64/26
Bill Nelson (FL) - 47/29
Debbie Stabenow (MI) - 48/36
So, the two Dem senators in the deepest-red states, Conrad and Ben Nelson, are among the safest. For all the talk of North Dakota Gov. Hoeven's "70 percent approval numbers" - well, Conrad has 71 percent approval numbers. Bill Nelson and Stabenow have drawn weak candidates, and Cantwell and Byrd are only in any poll danger when tested against candidates who aren't officially running.
GOP TARGETED BY DEMS
George Allen (VA) - 53/32
Conrad Burns (MT) - 50/42
Lincoln Chaffee (RI) - 53/39
Mike DeWine (OH) - 44/43
John Kyl (AZ) - 49/31
Rick Santorum (PA) - 45/44
Jim Talent (MO) - 48/38
Santorum and Burns are in trouble AND have top-shelf Dem candidates running agasint them. DeWine and Talent are in trouble but have yet to draw good candidates. Kyl, Allen and Chaffee are in pretty good shape.