Signs of Hope: Spotlight Turns to Undecided Sen. Thompson (R-Tenn) and Pete Domenici (R-NMex), who have yet to announce whether they will stand for their seats next year. Jesse Helms, Strom Tuurmond and now Texas Senator Phil Gramm are retiring from the Senate. So far, all 14 Democratic Senators whose seats are up for grabs are expected to stand for reelection. A total of 20 Republican seats hang in the balance as well. Reuters [Whether the Democrats take control again or not, I’m loving the prospect of a US Senate without Thurmond and Helms…]