How many states favored President Bush in 2004 while electing Democratic senators?

a) 0

b) 2

c) 5

d) 7

Answer: c) Presidential coattails were short for Senate Republicans in five of the states Bush carried in 2004: Arkansas, Colorado, Indiana, Nevada and North Dakota.

Colorado, in fact, produced a pickup for the Democrats. Ken Salazar, then the state’s Attorney General, defeated Republican Pete Coors for the seat left open by the retirement of Republican Sen. Ben Nighthorse Campbell. The other Democratic winners in split-ticket states were all re-elected incumbents: Blanche Lincoln of Arkansas, Evan Bayh of Indiana, Harry Reid of Nevada and Byron L. Dorgan of North Dakota.

Bush’s victories in six other states did, however, abet Republican victories to take over Senate seats that had been held by Democrats. Only one of these involved the defeat of an incumbent, in South Dakota, where Republican John Thune edged out Democrat Tom Daschle, then the Senate minority leader. The other five pickups were in open-seat races to replace retiring Democrats in the Republican-leaning South: in Florida, where Republican Mel Martinez succeeded Democrat Bob Graham; in Georgia, where Johnny Isakson replaced Zell Miller; in Louisiana, where David Vitter won to succeed John B. Breaux; in North Carolina, where Richard M. Burr replaced John Edwards; and in South Carolina, where Jim DeMint won the seat left open by Ernest F. Hollings.

The Democrats held the GOP to a net gain of four seats by winning the races in Colorado and in Illinois, where Barack Obama launched his meteoric national political career with a landslide win to succeed retiring Republican Peter G. Fitzgerald.