in the u.s. senate now. the race may already be tilting cotton s way. both conservatives in the establishment are behind him in a way we haven t seen in other states. the state itself has been shifting decidedly to the red column. pryor is under pressure from his own side. new york citier mayor bloomberg is bankrolling ads against pryor as punishment for his vote against tougher gun control. they d need just five more seats to regain control. we re already counting the corey booker in the win there. and there is a clear path to get there. but it won t be easy. reed wilson is the new senior political blogger for the washington post. and jessica taylor, the daily rundown s political reporter. reed, let me start with you. there is a red only path to the united states senate and that s why republicans feel better today. they don t have to put blue states in play. seven states at the moment that mitt romney won that have