Nate Silver Sees Major Gains for GOP in 2010

By Nikki Schwab, Washington Whispers

PITTSBURGH — It's fast becoming conventional wisdom, but statistics wonk Nate Silver of fivethirtyeight.com reiterated that Democrats should be nervous about the 2010 midterm elections. "I don't think you should feel at all comforted by 2010," said Silver. The political prognosticator predicted a 20- to 50-seat loss in the House for the Democrats and either a one-seat gain or as much as a six-seat loss for the Democrats in the Senate. This comes from the same numbers guru who called the presidential election results correctly in 49 states. "Don't be complacent about 2010," Silver warned bloggers and activists attending the Netroots Nation conference in Pittsburgh.

Charlie Cook of the Cook Political Report stayed nonpartisan but doled out the same advice. "The intensity has switched to the other side," Cook explained. That said, Silver acknowledged that 2012 is looking pretty good for President Obama. Why? Because the Republicans might be "stupid enough to nominate, say, Sarah Palin," said Silver.

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