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One seat, one vote — that’s the margin today in the United States Senate. So this November’s election will be fiercely contested. Republicans pray that President Bush’s high poll ratings will rub off on them, while Democrats point to shortcomings in lofty White House promises to working Americans. “Our votes hold the balance of power,” declared IAM President Tom Buffenbarger. “If we register and vote, we can change history.” Buffenbarger urged members to check the candidates’ actions, not just their rhetoric. “Candidates make lots of promises,” he said, “but it’s what they do for us—or to us—that matters.” Democratic hopes for building on their narrow 51-49 edge in the U.S. Senate rest with working families. One-third of the Senate, 20 Republicans and 13 Democrats, face the voters this year. But only six Senate races are likely to be competitive, according to Charlie Cook, editor of the Cook Political Report. Cook rates six states, equally divided between the two parties, as “toss ups.” Senators Paul Wellstone, Minnesota; Jean Carnahan, Missouri; and Tim Johnson, South Dakota hold the three Democratic “toss-up” seats. They face well-known and well-financed opponents. Wellstone faces popular St. Paul, Minnesota Mayor Norm Coleman — a former Democrat who bolted the party to run unsuccessfully against Jesse Ventura. Minnesota’s union members account for almost 18 percent of the registered vote. They can easily tip the balance in a close election. Wellstone voted with working families on issues ranging from health care to workplace safety to fair trade policies. “I am a labor senator,” he declared at the IAM Legislative Conference. He sponsored a measure that calls for the Labor Department to issue a new ergonomics standard. “Time is running out for millions of workers at risk of repetitive stress injury,” he said. “Congress must act now and we must act decisively.” Missouri Senator Jean Carnahan is a true friend of working families. “She’s a hard worker and always stands with us on our issues,” said St. Louis District 837 Business Representative Bill Brock. “Her door is always open to us. She has earned our support.” Her opponent, former GOP Rep. James Talent seldom supports worker issues. Talent’s main claim to fame comes from a House-approved health care proposal that “leaves the most needy without health insurance,” according to the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. South Dakota’s incumbent Senator Tim Johnson could be in for the toughest fight of all. The first-term senator faces a strong challenge from GOP Rep. John Thune. Johnson has supported prescription drug benefits, a real patient’s bill of rights, and proposals to help school districts improve school buildings. Thune has sided with insurance companies to beat back a patient’s bill of rights and supported a drug industry plan that leaves millions of elderly citizens without prescription drug coverage. On the GOP side of the aisle, incumbent Senators Tim Hutchinson of Arkansas and Wayne Allard of Colorado could be in jeopardy, Cook noted. In New Hampshire, incumbent Sen. Robert Smith faces serious primary opposition from GOP Rep. John Sununu for what could be the most vulnerable Republican seat. The winner takes on popular Gov. Jeanne Shaheen. Smith voted to eliminate federal ergonomics standards and to bar OSHA from issuing any such worker protections unless specifically authorized by Congress. He opposed collective bargaining rights for firefighters, police and other public safety officers employed by state and local municipalities. In Arkansas, Tim Hutchinson holds a narrow lead over Attorney General Mark Pryor. Hutchinson voted against a prescription drug benefit amendment for seniors and the disabled and has consistently supported a National Right-to-Work Act. In Colorado, Democrat Tom Strickland again challenges incumbent Sen. Wayne Allard who defeated him by only five points in 1996. Allard has opposed prescription drug benefits for Medicare recipients; voted against a patient’s bill of rights; opposed minimum wage increases that primarily benefit low-income workers and is a strong backer of National Right-to-Work legislation.
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