Despite all the attention on the 2008 presidential campaign, Republicans are also focusing on regaining control of the U.S. Senate, which they narrowly lost to the Democrats last year. The Democrats currently hold a slim 51-49 majority, with 34 Senate seats up for election in November 2008. Experts believe that the Democrats are in a strong position to maintain their majority, as they only need to defend 12 seats compared to the Republicans' 22. Jennifer Duffy, a Senate race expert at the Cook Political Report, sees potential for Democrats in the upcoming election, but is unsure if it will be realized. She stated that she believes the majority is not up for grabs, and that the Republicans are focused on minimizing their losses. The control of the Senate will be important for the White House in the upcoming year, regardless of who replaces Bush. A president's policies can succeed or fail in the Senate, as major bills often require 60 votes to overcome obstacles and be passed. Anthony Corrado, a government professor at Colby College in Maine, predicts that Senate races will be dominated by issues such as the prolonged Iraq war, a weak economy, disagreements over tax cuts, and debates about climate change. "This upcoming election will see the Republicans playing defense," he stated, with a focus on arguments for change prevailing in political conversations. Duffy cautioned that it was not certain that Democrats would gain many seats. According to an ABC News/Washington Post poll, support for Democrats has decreased by 10 points since April to 44 percent. The Democrats won power in 2006 with a promise to start pulling troops out of Iraq, but have yet to fulfill that pledge. September may prove to be a critical moment as Congress is set to discuss multiple anti-war proposals. There are a number of Republicans who are considered vulnerable and could be defeated in order to increase the Democrats' majority in the Senate. Some of these Republicans include Minnesota Senator Norm Coleman, Maine Senator Susan Collins, New Hampshire Senator John Sununu, and the seat being vacated by Colorado Senator Wayne Allard. On the other hand, Democrats must also defend seats held by Senator Mary Landrieu in Louisiana, Senator Mark Pryor in Arkansas, and Senator Tim Johnson in South Dakota, who is recovering from brain surgery. Republicans have not yet chosen a candidate to run against Landrieu, and there is speculation that former Arkansas Governor... Mike Huckabee might choose to abandon his plans to run for president and instead run against Pryor. According to Sen. John Ensign, the head of the National Republican Senatorial Committee, the Republican Party has a good chance of performing better than expected. Ensign pointed out that in the past, the odds makers were wrong in predicting the outcome of Senate elections. He believes that running elections and analyzing the results is the best way to determine the outcome. Ensign also mentioned that the Democrats' stance on reversing tax cuts and their opposition to the Iraq war could work in favor of the Republicans, who lost Senate control in 2006 after losing six seats. Senator Charles Schumer of New York, the Democratic counterpart to Ensign, argues that the Iraq war, now in its fifth year, will benefit his party. He emphasizes that Democrats have a track record of balancing the budget, which he believes will resonate with voters. Schumer, who leads the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee, states that Republicans have lost touch and that his party will come in with a mandate for change. If senators like John Warner of Virginia and Pete Domenici of New Mexico retire, Republicans could face an even tougher battle as more seats become up for grabs. Additionally, fundraising is another challenge for Republicans, as the Democratic campaign has raised twice as much money as their Republican counterparts in the first four months of 2007, with $18.3 million compared to $9.1 million. In a closely contested Minnesota election, comedian Al Franken, the top Democratic candidate, has raised $1.35 million in the first quarter, putting up a strong performance compared to the $1.53 million raised by Coleman.