Hugh Hewitt argues that a 50-50 Senate is possible with DeWine as a casualty

Hugh Hewitt (blog, recent book) argues that Senator DeWine may be one of 4 possible casualties in the upcoming elections:

From the WSJ Journal Editorial Report April 10, 2006 transcript (ed. emphasis added):

...Gigot: You argue in your new book that the Republican prospects in 2006 could be as "disastrous," and I think that's your word, as they were for the Democrats in 1994. Why do you think Republicans are in such trouble?

Hewitt: Well, I think it's a combination, Paul, of indifference and dithering. Republicans now are taking a lot of comfort in what they consider to be a gerrymandered and defeat-proof map in the House and a 10-seat margin in the Senate. But it is pretty easy to see how you could lose at least four seats in the Senate: Lincoln Chafee, Conrad Burns, Santorum and DeWine. And maybe one more and we're back to 50-50. And in the House it's about wave politics.

I was doing a show much like this in 1994 on the night that the Democrats were surprised by a wave. Chris Cox, now the SEC chairman, came into the studio and told me, "Hugh, if anyone tells you they saw this coming they're lying." Well, right now, a lot of voices are joining mine. Whether it's Newt Gingrich, I talked to Tom DeLay this week after his announcement, and many of those voices who close to American politics at the base realize that, while the Democrats can't pretty much turn out anymore than they did in 2004, all those people are most likely going to vote but a lot of Republicans may in fact sit on their hands unless they see the sort of activity that they thought they would get from a majority...

Disclosure: Porkopolis has been assisting the Pierce for Senate campaign, as an unpaid volunteer, with the publishing of the campaign video to the web and has also endorsed Pierce.