Despite the focus on the 2008 presidential campaign, Republicans are also aiming to regain control of the U.S. Senate after narrowly losing it to the Democrats last year. Experts believe that with a 51-49 Democratic majority and 34 Senate seats up for grabs in November 2008, the Democrats have the advantage. President George W. Bush's Republicans have 22 seats to defend, while the Democrats only have 12. Jennifer Duffy, a Senate races specialist 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 at risk, as the Republicans are focused on minimizing their losses. The control of the Senate will be vital for the White House next year, regardless of who follows Bush. The decisions made in the Senate can make or break a president's policies, as many important bills require 60 votes for approval. The upcoming Senate races will be dominated by issues such as the prolonged Iraq war, a weak economy, disagreements on tax cuts, and debates on climate change, according to Anthony Corrado, a government professor at Colby College in Maine. He stated that the upcoming election will put the Republicans in a defensive position, with discussions about change being prevalent. Duffy noted that there is no certainty that Democrats will gain many seats, as evidenced by a recent poll showing a decline in support for them. In 2006, Democrats were elected with a promise to withdraw troops from Iraq, but have not yet been able to fulfill this commitment. The situation may change in September when Congress will discuss various anti-war proposals. Many Republicans are considered vulnerable and could potentially be replaced to increase the Democrats' advantage, including Minnesota's Norm Coleman, Maine's Susan Collins, New Hampshire's John Sununu, and the seat being left vacant by Colorado's Wayne Allard. Democrats, however, also need to protect seats held by Mary Landrieu in Louisiana, Mark Pryor in Arkansas, and Tim Johnson in South Dakota, who is recovering from brain surgery. Republicans have not yet chosen a candidate for Landrieu's seat, leading to speculation among political analysts. Mike Huckabee might decide not to run for president and instead challenge Pryor. Sen. John Ensign, who leads the National Republican Senatorial Committee, believes that his party will perform better than expected. He pointed out that the Democrats were underestimated in the past Senate elections, and that it is important to wait for the election results before making predictions. Ensign also mentioned that the Democrats' support for tax cuts and their stance against the Iraq war could benefit the Republicans, who lost control of the Senate in 2006. Senator Charles Schumer of New York, the Democratic counterpart to Ensign, argues that the Iraq war, now in its fifth year, would benefit his party. Schumer believes that Democrats have a history of successfully balancing the budget, which should appeal to voters. As head of the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee, Schumer states that the Republicans have lost touch and that the Democrats are poised to bring about change. If senators like John Warner of Virginia and Pete Domenici of New Mexico retire, Republicans could face an even tougher fight with more seats in play. Additionally, the Democratic campaign has raised double the amount of money compared to their Republican rival during the first four months of 2007, with $18.3 million raised by Democrats and $9.1 million by Republicans. In a closely contested election in Minnesota, comedian Al Franken, the top Democratic contender, has already collected $1.35 million in the initial three months, a solid performance compared to the $1.53 million raised by Coleman.