January 18, 2011
Sen. Kent Conrad announces retirement
The GOP has just been given a gift: a likely pickup of the Senate seat currently held by Senator Kent Conrad (D-ND) in 2014. Chris Cillizza of the Washington Post reports:
North Dakota Democratic Sen. Kent Conrad announced today that he will not seek reelection, creating a potentially prime pickup opportunity for Republicans in a GOP-leaning state."After months of consideration, I have decided not to seek reelection in 2012," Conrad said in a letter to constituents. "There are serious challenges facing our State and nation, like a $14 trillion debt and America's dependence on foreign oil. It is more important I spend my time and energy trying to solve these problems than to be distracted by a campaign for reelection."
Richard Baehr comments:
Truly excellent news. Conrad is probably the only Democrat who could hold the seat. On the other hand, the GOP is in good shape to hold Kay Bailey Hutchinson's open seat in Texas.