White House Targets Senate Seat held by Senator Cantwell of Washington

The White House has targeted five Senate seats now held by Democrats for 2006 election victories for Republicans. These five vulnerable seats are now held by Senator Maria Cantwell (D-WA), Senator Debbie Stabenow (D-MI), Senator Ben Nelson (D-NE), Senator Bill Nelson (D-FL) and Senator Mark Dayton (D-MN), who is not running for reelection.

Senator Maria Cantwell won her first senatorial election in 2000 with a razor-thin margin of victory over the four-decade Republican incumbent. Although an experienced politician and political stratgist, she had spent the previous years working in a successful internet startup.

As a result, Senator Cantwell is regarded by many as the most cyber-savvy US senator, and one of the most hardworking. She's a key member of the Congressional Internet Caucus, and the Senate Committee on Small Business and Entrepreneurship.

The senator first came to national prominence as a vocal and spirited supporter of the bipartisan McCain-Feingold campaign finance reform act. Both senators singled Maria Cantwell out for praise when Congress passed the legislation.

Senator Cantwell is a lifelong baseball fan, and holds Seattle Mariners season tickets. She played softball as a girl, and it's said that she still has an excellent throwing arm. And much to the senator's chagrin, she was named by a Washington DC magazine as Senate tops for its "Looks Good in a Bathing Suit" award.

The senator's likely Republican opponent will be former state Senator Dino Rossi, who recently lost a close contest for the governor's race. Be sure to read my profile of US Senator Maria Cantwell, so you can be up-to-speed on the midterm US senatorial elections.
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My profile of Senator Cantwell is one in a series of profiles of 2006 Democratic candidates, designed to familiarize you with key Senate races. (With Democrats holding only 44 of 100 Senate seats in this 109th Congress, every race is key.)

Of the 2006 Democratic candidates, I've now written about Senator Debbie Stabenow (D-MI), Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton (D-NY), Senator Joseph Lieberman (D-CT) , Senator Dianne Feinstein (D-CA) and, of course, Senator Maria Cantwell (D-WA).

My next profiles in the weeks ahead will be about the two Nelsons (no relation) mentioned above....Senator Ben Nelson (D-NE) and Senator Bill Nelson (D-FL).

You can find all of these profiles at 2006 US Senate Races, which is under my Liberal Personal Profiles category.