Senate Races heating up

AP is running three separate stories on upcoming Senate Races:

Katherine Harris is kicking off her campaign in Florida:

U.S. Rep. Katherine Harris began her campaign for Senate on Tuesday, hoping that she can convince voters there is more to her record than overseeing the disputed 2000 presidential election.

Nineteen months after declining to run for an open Senate seat while President Bush was on the ballot, Harris seeks to unseat incumbent Democrat Bill Nelson in a 2006 race that some Republicans say she can't win because independent and Democratic voters don't think much of her.

Okay, Bill Nelson has to beat her. This one should be fun.

Hillary Clinton has another GOP opponent:

Jeanine Pirro, a high-profile prosecutor in the New York City suburbs, said Monday she will seek the Republican nomination to challenge Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton next year.

Clinton, leaving a New York City event, ignored reporters' shouted questions about Pirro's announcement.

Pirro said the former first lady is more interested in running for president than being senator - speculation Clinton has sought to quash.

So, looks like Pirro's whole job is to trash Hillary.

And, Conrad Burns is taking some real heat in Montana:

The Montana Democratic Party - aided by the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee - is airing a television ad criticizing Republican Sen. Conrad Burns for his dealings with a GOP lobbyist who is under federal investigation.

The DSCC contribution on the ad referring to lobbyist Jack Abramoff was its first salvo in the Senate ad wars that are just warming up. Republicans aired an ad criticizing West Virginia Sen. Robert Byrd late last month.

Burns is running for his fourth term senator and four Democrats have entered the race. His seat is one of 33 Senate seats up for election in 2006.

The Burns campaign and the National Republican Senatorial Committee said the ad is false and asked TV stations to stop airing it.

Good work by the Montana Dems. Note how the GOPers, who thrive on negative ads, start whining the second someone runs a critical ad about one of their own.

It's only August of 2005...and it's already getting interesting.