Election 2006: The Stakes in the Senate

What Democrat Senate control would mean.

by Rod D. Martin
October 23, 2006

Much has been written (including by me) about the perils of the party of Nancy Pelosi, Barney Frank and Charlie Rangel capturing the U.S. House of Representatives this November.

But the importance of who controls the Senate cannot be overestimated.

While House members are elected for two-year terms, senators' terms are three times as long.

If you elect the wrong person to the Senate -- or, crucially for disgruntled conservatives, if you fail to elect the right one by staying home -- you have to wait six years, not two, for a chance to undo your mistake.

Moreover, senators wield far more power than House members.  An individual senator, for instance, can tie up a bill or a nomination indefinitely, all by herself.  And collectively, Senators decide on treaties with other nations.  Their consent is required for presidential appointments, including federal judicial nominees.  And as millions of Americans first learned in the late 1990s, they determine the fate …