Abraham Bows Out, Brandon Last Hope

Today, Jane Abraham, the strongest Republican challenger to Sen. Debbie Stabenow, announced that she will not run for Senate next year. Abraham is just the latest in a series of potentially strong GOP candidates to take a pass on the race. Former Secretary of State, Rep. Candice Miller declined to run earlier this year.

Abraham's decision leaves Domino's Pizza executive David Brandon as the last GOP hope. The upshot with Brandon is that he can self-finance. Of course that's what the GOP expected when Party leaders recruited Pete Coors last year, and Coors footed only a small portion of his campaign bill. One would have to expect Brandon would self-finance, but it's not as certain as it had been in the past.

Stabenow's numbers have been improving of late, and her strong fundraising is starting to make her look much safer than many anticipated. If Brandon wants to make the run, regardless of how much money he has, he had better start soon. Even if he does, Stabenow looks a lot safer than she did just a few months ago. Chalk this up as another Dole recruiting failure. Likely Democrat.