- The Republicans have a decent shot to seize the U.S. Senate this election cycle. With the Democrats holding a slim 51-49 majority, it would merely require two GOP flips to make that happen (or one if there's a Republican president).
With Sen. Joe Manchin not seeking reelection, West Virginia is all but assured to go Republican. But what about Arizona in light of this latest news?
Independent Senator Kyrsten Sinema (who caucuses with the Democrats - ed.) of Arizona announced Tuesday she will not seek reelection.
The moderate senator’s decision to bow out allows her to avoid a three-way contest for her seat and creates a likely matchup between Democratic Representative Ruben Gallego and Republican Kari Lake.
“Because I choose civility, understanding, listening, working together to get stuff done, I will leave the Senate at the end of this year,” Sinema said in a video message on Tuesday.
Sinema was elected as a Democrat in 2018 but realized early in her term that her pragmatic, independent streak was a non-starter in that party. As such, the Dems are putting forth a candidate whose ideology squares with that of "The Squad" (i.e. Ilhan Omar, AOC, Rashida Tlaib, etc.). In any other era, this would be a easy pickup for the Republicans, except when anyone with the stink of Donald J. Trump is the nominee. That was Lake's downfall when she ran for governor of Arizona in 2022. Can she overcome that this cycle with a Senate run? Remains to be seen.
Let's just say I don't envy the binary choice Arizonans are facing with this race.
- Rep. Tide Pod Evita Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez 3+ years ago:
Brooklyn — Leftist congresswoman @AOC was confronted and chased out of a cinema by leftist protesters who want her to more strongly condemn Israel. Ocasio-Cortez had previously advocated for protest tactics that make targets "uncomfortable." pic.twitter.com/6yNaOD64c7
— Andy Ngô 🏳️🌈 (@MrAndyNgo) March 5, 2024
I'd say Sandy looked quite uncomfortable there, no?
- As a fan of the Minnesota Vikings, I've been paying rapt attention to the saga surrounding their franchise quarterback Kirk Cousins. Given the salary cap constraints as well as the significant risk to re-sign a soon-to-be 36-year old QB coming off a torn achilles four months ago, the Vikings will unlikely be able to match what offers Cousins will receive on the open market next week.
If Cousins' departure occurs, what's Plan B at quarterback for Minnesota? Well, this year's NFL draft is the deepest QB draft in quite some time. However, with the 11th overall pick, the Vikes would have to part with significant capital to move up into the top 5 to assure they get a blue chip prospect. That sounds great in theory, but what if none of the teams in those current slots are willing to play ball?
If certain rumors floating about are true, perhaps the Vikings have their "Plan C," which is to get a veteran bridge QB as well as make a trade for a potential future franchise signal caller.
While that sounds like a classic feelgood story of the MN kid playing for his home state NFL team, we have no idea if Trey Lance is a legit pro quarterback (he's only made 4 starts in three seasons). But if Vikings coach Kevin O'Connell is this big time "quarterback whisperer" as he's being touted by some, then perhaps he can unlock something in Lance. I say it's at least worth the risk.
I'm hard pressed to think of another pro sports league where the offseason is almost as intriguing as the on-field competition.
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