Senator Ulmer?

A few of us cronys were sitting around the cracker barrel, sippin' scotch and smokin' seegars when one of us, I forget which, piped up "Screw Tony Knowles," to whcih we all offered a hearty "Hear, hear," and waited for the next political profundity to emit.
"I thnk I know who can beat him AND Lisa Whats-her name," he went on.
Another round was poured, smoke puffed and we sat back to listen.
'"Lookit. Knowles is turning into Tom Daschle's puppydog and if Mark Begich hired David Ramseur to work for HIM, imagine the crew Knowles would bring to Washington if by some stroke of fate or disfavor of the gods he won election to the United States Senate..."
We all nodded our kjnowing assent to this scenario.
"And Lisa whatshername doesn't stand any more chance of re-election than her aged and clearly disoriented father does. Talk about name recognition. P.U.," the pundit continued.
This was making sense, if we weren't quite sure where it was going.
"Who can be an instant national Demo fundraiser, and we wouldn't begrudge it a bit," he asked. "Who can take on Knowles, with impunity, and play him like the pike he is?"
OK, we all said, "WHO?"
"Fran," he replied simply.
We all looked around, pulled on our scotches and pondered. "Hmmmmmmmm," we all hmmmmmm'd.
Fran indeed.
Instant national party credibility. Instant access to the same resources that put other notable women into the US Senate. No political loyalty, on the face of it to Tony Knowles (he Clintoned her in the election, right?) and certainly no reason to NOT take him on in the primary. Broad statewide support and far higher name recognition and credibility than the "incumbent" appointee.
Best of all, it by no means obviates another run for Governor in whatever glacially long wait we have until the aged and clearly disoriented incumbent's term is over.