2010 Begins!

I know, the last election of 2008 is today, with the Georgia runoff between Saxby Chambliss and Jim Martin. But there's news on the next set of elections too! Don't you just love the perpetual campaign?

And the news is bad for Republicans, to boot. First, Mel Martinez is resigning, setting up an open seat in the newly blue state of Florida.

Florida Sen. Mel Martinez (R) has decided against seeking a second term, a decision he will formalize shortly in the Sunshine State, according to an informed party source.

Martinez's decision was based on a desire for more free time and a less scheduled life, said the source. The first term senator also was an almost certain Democratic target in two years time although those familiar with Martinez's political prospects insisted his strengths in South Florida, coupled with his political base along the I-4 corridor, made his path to reelection possible.

The Democrats' favored candidate, State CFO Alex Sink, begged off the race yesterday. I could totally see Jeb Bush trying to rehabilitate the Bush name by running for this, and he'd be a strong favorite, but it's not a slam-dunk.

In Pennsylvania, the biggest news is not Tweety Bird's destined-to-crash-and-burn Democratic campaign, but the fact that wingnut's wingnut Pat Toomey may take on a primary challenge rematch.

Toomey, the president of the conservative Club for Growth, insisted Specter faces more hurdles than he did four years ago.

"He's significantly more vulnerable now than he was in 2004," Toomey said in an interview.

He argued that Specter's core constituency in the GOP, which he called "liberal and moderate Republicans," have since left the party and will be unable to vote in Pennsylvania's closed Republican primary. That will make it more difficult for Specter to prevail against a conservative opponent, Toomey said.

Toomey is absolutely right. It also means that he would have no shot at winning the general election, since all those moderates left the party thanks to nutballs like him.