Tag: State Sen. Housley

Rating changes: Texas and Minnesota Senate races shift the Democrats’ way

Cornyn remains the favorite, but defending his seat could cost the GOP resources

The fight for Senate control is still taking shape and, less than 16 months before Election Day, two states appear to moving in the Democrats’ direction on the battlefield.

Donald Trump came within about a point and a half of winning Minnesota in the 2016 presidential election. But that might be the new high-water mark for Republicans, and the GOP will have a hard time unseating Democratic Sen. Tina Smith in 2020.

Democrats have a 52-43 percent advantage statewide, according to the Inside Elections Baseline, which includes all statewide and House results over the most recent four election cycles. Republicans took a half-hearted shot at Smith last cycle, when she was on the ballot for the first time as a senator, but state Sen. Karin Housley lost by more than 10 points.

View the complete July 9 article by Nathan L. Gonzales on The Roll Call website here.

Republican Karin Housley won’t run for U.S. Senate in 2020

Republican state Sen. Karin Housley announced Tuesday that she won’t seek a rematch against Democrat Tina Smith for U.S. Senate in 2020.

Housley, who lost to Smith by double digits in 2018, has been publicly mulling another U.S. Senate bid for months. But on Tuesday, the St. Marys Point Republican said that she ultimately decided to run for re-election in the state Senate instead.

“I love our communities and I love Minnesota — and I’m proud of what we’ve accomplished in the past seven years,” Housley tweeted. “I’m excited to continue that work.”

View the complete July 2 article by Torey Van Oot on The Star Tribune website here.