Incumbents elected in the 2010 midterms will face an electorate that is demographically more daunting in a presidential year. No matter how entertaining the circus of the presidential campaign, also remember this: Control of the Senate is definitely in play. Maggie Hassan offered a reminder Monday when the Democratic governor of New Hampshire announced that she will challenge Sen. Kelly Ayotte, a first-term Republican, in next year’s elections. Hassan had been silent about her intentions, but public polling suggests that the race would be very close; most surveys show the Republican incumbent with the narrowest of leads. Republicans hold a 54-to-46 advantage in the Senate. This means that Democrats would need a net gain of four seats if they hold onto the White House, or five seats if they don’t (because the vice president can break a Senate tie). The GOP’s majority is flimsy, though. Republicans have 24 seats at risk next year, compared to just 10 for the Democrats, and seven are in states that President Obama carried in 2012. One of those seven seats looks safe; Iowa’s six-term
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