U.S. Senators Elizabeth Dole (R-Nc) and Charles Schumer (D-Ny) Deliver Remarks at the National Press Club On the November Elections

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U.S. Senators Elizabeth Dole (R-Nc) and Charles Schumer (D-Ny) Deliver Remarks at the National Press Club On the November Elections

SENATORS DOLE AND SCHUMER DELIVER REMARKS AT THE NATIONAL PRESS CLUB ON THE NOVEMBER ELECTIONS

OCTOBER 25, 2006

SPEAKERS: U.S. SENATOR CHARLES SCHUMER (D-NY), CHAIRMAN, DEMOCRATIC SENATORIAL CAMPAIGN COMMITTEE

SENATOR ELIZABETH DOLE (R-NC), CHAIRMAN, NATIONAL REPUBLICAN SENATORIAL COMMITTEE [*] MODERATOR: Before today's luncheon, we held a coin-toss to see which speaker went first. Senator Dole won the toss and asked to speak second. Senator Schumer asked if he could have the money to help Jim Webb in his race against Virginia Senator George Allen.

(LAUGHTER)

Let's welcome Senators Schumer and Dole to the National Press Club.

(APPLAUSE)

SCHUMER: Well, thank you, Jonathan. And it is so good to be back here again.

You know, Jonathan called me about a month and a half ago about coming here. And he said, "Do you believe in free speech?" I said, "Of course I believe in free speech. It's part of the First Amendment. It's enshrined in the Constitution. It helps all your members." He said, "Good. Could you give one?"

(LAUGHTER)

So here I am. I didn't even get the quarter from the coin-toss, and I am still here giving the speech.

Anyway, it's good to be here and see all of you as we're on the eve of another election: the great, peaceful passing of the torch that happens every two years. And it's a wonderful thing.

Now, to just give you a little view of our overall landscape, if I had asked two years ago if you all thought we'd be talking about Democrats picking up seats in 2006, you would have smiled politely, listened to my pitch, and probably gone along with the conventional wisdom that a generation of Republican domination was ascendant on Washington.

But here we are two weeks from Election Day in a position we never thought we'd be in and -- I have never said this a few months ago -- on the edge of taking back the Senate.

Now, let's be clear: It's not a done deal, it's hardly a certainty and nobody on our side in the Senate is breaking out the champagne. But we are on the edge; something we didn't even think we'd be about three months ago. And we feel good about winning a good number of new seats.

A year ago the focus was on the more traditionally competitive states like Pennsylvania and Ohio. But the progress we've made is bet...

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