Senator Tom Harkin of Iowa, a friend of labor – faces a tough election challenge.  The Republican Party has targeted his candidacy as they work to take back the Senate.

Shortly after the attacks of September 11, 2001, Congress rushed to provide $15 billion of cash assistance and loan guarantees to airlines although it has failed to provide any assistance whatsoever to the 140,000 workers who were expected to be laid-off in the aviation industry. The vote was 56-44.

Using the Congressional Review Act for the first time, the Senate voted 56-44 to eliminate the then-current ergonomics standard, and to prohibit OSHA from issuing another similar rule without Congressional permission.

Republican leaders in the Senate passed an irresponsible budget that uses $1.65 trillion worth of projected budget surpluses over ten years to pay for tax cuts that would primarily benefit the wealthy. The measure passed 53-47.

Tax cuts for the richest of the rich, bailouts for big business, a cynical swipe at worker safety. That’s the legacy of this U.S. Senate. It’s all crystal-clear and it’s all on the record.

Issues of vital importance to America’s working families were decided by a handful of votes.

How much would job training and health benefits have meant to workers and families laid-off and still reeling from the effects of 9/11? How many workers would face the prospect of injury each day while OSHA’s hands are tied?

It doesn’t have to be this way. America’s working families can have a dramatic impact in this year’s election. With the balance of power already so close, just one vote in the U.S. Senate, far-reaching changes are possible.

Currently, the Senate is made up of 50 Democrats, 49 Republicans, and one Independent. A gain of just one seat on the Republican side would put them in the Senate majority. A 50-50 seat Senate split still gives Republicans the majority because Vice President Cheney—also President  of the Senate—breaks all tie votes.

Eight Hot Races
So, who will control the United States Senate? Who will control the levers of real power in Washington? These eight races will decide:

Arkansas
Incumbent Senator Tim Hutchinson (R) holds a voting record more conservative than Senator Jesse Helms (the right-wing zealot from North Carolina) and is seen as out-of-touch with his constituents. Challenger Mark Pryor (D) has been gaining in popularity and many independent polls show him pulling ahead. There are 6,284 active and retired IAM members in Arkansas.

Colorado
Incumbent Senator Wayne Allard (R) is another lawmaker with a far-right political philosophy. With business connections to a company under federal investigation, polls show his challenger, former U.S. attorney Tom Strickland (D), running even. There are 7,796 active and retired IAM members in Colorado.

Iowa
Incumbent Senator Tom Harkin (D), a solid supporter of working families and of labor unions, faces off with Congressman Greg Ganske (R) whose fade in the polls coincides with charges that he used a taxpayer-funded office to campaign against Harkin — clearly violating House of Representatives regulations. There are 9,399 active and retired IAM members in Iowa.

Minnesota
Incumbent Senator Paul Wellstone (D) — known as “Labor’s Senator” — is in a tight race with St. Paul, Minnesota Mayor Norm Coleman (R). President Bush has traveled to Minnesota three times to campaign and raise money for Coleman, and pressured a Coleman GOP rival to stay out of the race. There are 19,562 active and retired IAM members in Minnesota.

Missouri
Incumbent Senator Jean Carnahan (D), a strong aerospace and union supporter, faces off against Jim Talent (R). Despite heavy Bush administration fund raising and support, Talent trails Carnahan in the polls. There are 37, 946 active and retired IAM members in Missouri.

Oklahoma
Senator Jim Inhofe (R) is locked in a tight battle with former Governor David Walters (D). Inhofe has been investigated recently for attempting to use his office to advance the business interests of a close friend, even to the point of holding up a Bush appointment because the appointee wouldn’t use his friend’s technology. There are 2,510 active and retired IAM members in Oklahoma.

Oregon
Incumbent Senator Gordon Smith (R) is running scared from a challenge by Oregon Secretary of State Bill Bradbury (D). Smith, who has earned poor constituent job reviews, claims to be a moderate, but has voted to the right on many issues.  He also owns a business which is one of the worst polluters in the state. There are 9,693 active and retired IAM members in Oregon.

Texas
With the retirement of Senator Phil Gramm at the end of his third term, former Texas Secretary of State and twice-elected Mayor of Dallas, Ron Kirk (D), is facing off with Texas Attorney General John Cornyn (R) for Gramm’s vacated seat. Kirk, who handily won the Democratic nomination in April, is a proven leader with a record of building coalitions and getting things done. Cornyn, who despite running statewide three times and having spent three years as the sitting Attorney General, is strikingly lackluster in polls. There are 23,336 active and retired IAM members in Texas.