Highest inflation rates hit states with key Senate races, put Democrats on the spot
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(CNN) — As the Senate’s top Democrat gets ready for the fight to reclaim the seat he won in 2010, he is in a tough spot: How does he not get sucked into the race?
The Florida senator doesn’t want to be a spoiler, so he’s gone silent on the race, putting an end to a high-energy cycle that was already starting to heat up in early April when Democratic Senator Bill Nelson won his third and perhaps final term.
But now, his silence could cost him a top-two Senate spot because it puts Democrats on the spot on one of the most interesting races in the country: South Carolina. The state is a must-win seat for Democrats, but a lot of Republicans have already made a name for themselves on the national stage.
“They do have an opportunity to win this race, and there are very few races in the country like this that can win if they can build a big enough base of support,” said Brad Woodhouse, a former state senator from the Palmetto State and current political science professor at the University of South Carolina.
The stakes in the race are potentially even higher, given that two-term senator, Lindsey Graham is running to fill the seat at the end of his term after being tapped to head South Carolina.
The race features two top GOP candidates and a Democratic frontrunner who has yet to officially enter the race.
The Democratic primary features two former U.S. senators — Joe Biden and Jim Webb — who have run previously. And the Republican field includes South Carolina Senator Lindsey Graham, who has been in the Senate for 21 years, and John Gregg and Mick Mulvaney.
The senator-to-be will have to pick one of the two candidates from the GOP primary before making the decision to officially join the race. The race for the Democratic nomination is