No Biden

“In another blow to the Democrats, Vice President Joe Biden’s son, Beau Biden, announced Monday that he would not seek to fill the U.S. Senate seat vacated by his father. Adding to the party’s woes, Democratic Rep. Marion Berry of Arkansas said he would retire, putting his seat up for grabs in an election year that looks increasingly favorable for the GOP. Biden, Delaware’s attorney general, had been considered an obvious choice to fill the seat for that state. His announcement came as Democrats reel from last week’s special-election loss in Massachusetts for the seat that had been held for decades by the late Sen. Edward M. Kennedy. Berry represents a conservative district that favored Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) by 21 percentage points in the 2008 presidential election. Analysts had considered Berry’s reelection likely, but in light of his retirement, some now say the district leans in favor of the GOP. Berry, 67, said in a statement that he was retiring for health reasons.”