2008 Senate race ratings for key 2008 races, provided by a range of professional election-watchers and – each category – listed alphabetically by state. Political analysts from each of our four major sources agree that some of these races are long-shot…

Latest information on all the top tier Senate races.

Alaska:  A wide-ranging public corruption inquiry by the Department of Justice and the FBI has led to the late July indictment of Sen. Ted Stevens’ (R) related to a home remodeling project. Stevens’ son, ex-state Senate president Ben Stevens (R), has also been caught up in a wide-ranging corruption scandal. Anchorage Mayor Mark Begich (D) is running against Stevens and was already leading in the polls before the indictment. Begich also outraised Stevens in the last fundraising quarter ending June 30, although Stevens retains a cash-on-hand advantage. Stevens easily won an August 26 primary, but Begich is favored to win the seat.

Colorado:   Sen. Wayne Allard (R) is retiring at the end of his term. The race settled early: U.S. Rep Mark Udall (D) vs. ex-Rep. Bob Schaffer (R). Colorado is trending Democratic, and Udall is a narrow favorite. A number of revelations about Schaffer’s past work have caused him difficulties. Udall has a fundraising advantage, but not an overwhelming one. A recent Quinnipiac/Wall Street Journal/Washington Post.com poll surprisingly showed the Republican candidate ex-Rep. Bob Schaffer has pulled into a tie against U.S. Rep. Mark Udall (D). The poll, conducted July 14 – 22, had the two candidates in a 44% – 44% tie. [COUNCIL FOR A LIVABLE WORLD HAS ENDORSED AND FUNDRAISED FOR MARK UDALL]

To get details on all the top tier Senate races, click here.