In 2018, Democrats in the Senate will be forced to defend 23 seats – 9 of which are in states won by Donald Trump.  Republicans, on the other hand, need only to defend 8 seats. That daunting math colored a gathering of Democrats in West Virginia who attended sessions on how to avoid electoral catastrophe in 2018.  Among the panel discussions:  Former Kentucky Gov. Steve Beshear (D), along with Sens. Heidi Heitkamp (D-N.D.) and Michael Bennet (D-Colo.), held a session on “speaking to those who feel invisible in rural America," according to the schedule. Other sessions were along similar lines: “Listening to those feel unheard” and “Rising America — They feel unheard too.” On Thursday Sen. Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.) will discuss political tactics for the midterm election and Democrats will strategize on how to define themselves and Trump. Sens. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.), Tim Kaine (D-Va.) and Joe Donnelly (D-Ind.)...(Read Full Post)