Chris Van Hollen, the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee Chairman, is already indicating that 2010 may be a tough year for the Democrats.
“I’m not predicting any third waves here,” the Maryland Democrat said in remarks at a forum sponsored by Georgetown University and Politico.
“If you look at first midterm elections historically, the president’s party loses seats,” he said. “The historical trend is pretty clear for Democrats.”
Rather than trying to expand the Democratic House majority in 2010, Van Hollen believes his job is “to hold the line.”
But he expressed confidence that his party can rebuff the historic trend if they govern effectively. “I believe we can prevent those kinds of losses,” he said. “The American people will judge us by how we govern.”
There is historical merit to this, President Clinton, experienced this in 1996. President Bush saw gains however. The Democrats have some major risks in 2010 with an Obama/Pelosi Stimulus Package that has not only unified the GOP, but is wildly unpopular among voters. If the economy tanks… watch for some heads to roll in 2010.
