Brad Haynes
Wall Street Journal
September 18, 2008

Sen. John Ensign, the man running the Senate Republicans’ campaign efforts this year, says his party could conceivably fight to a draw on Election Day. That’s the most optimistic he’s been all year.

Back in June, Ensign said a three-seat loss on Nov. 4 would be “a terrific night for us, absolutely.”

And the news that nine of 49 Republican senators have contributed to the National Republican Senatorial Committee is a good omen, too, he said. Just last month, Ensign, the NRSC chairman, had blasted his colleagues when he had to cut back the committee’s advertising budget because fellow senators wouldn’t “step up to the plate and help me provide the resources our candidates need to compete.”

In an already rough cycle for Republicans, the committee’s Democratic counterpart has an enormous cash lead – $43 million versus $25 million at the end of July, according to the latest federal election reports. Only a quarter of the Republicans in the Senate have met the fund-raising goals set by their party, according to a report by The Hill newspaper.

Still, Ensign offered his most optimistic assessment yet, saying at a briefing with reporters that Republicans could potentially hold on to 49 seats in the Senate. He credited the new outlook to the Republicans’ pro-drilling message and the enthusiasm that Sarah Palin has brought to the GOP. John McCain’s vice-presidential pick has “supercharged” the party, Ensign said. “She wasn’t a spark, she was a blowtorch.”

As races have narrowed, Ensign said that seats in Minnesota, Oregon, New Hampshire, North Carolina, Colorado and Alaska – all currently held by Republicans – are now within the margin of error in recent polling.