Okay, GOP, Now the Bad News...

Put away the champagne, conservatives. Scott Brown’s win was certainly positive, but party insiders still see many obstacles between the GOP and a congressional takeover. One biggie: money. In the House, the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee has $15 million in the bank, four times the war chest of its Republican counterpart. At the candidate level, Democrats have roughly $60 million more.

Strategists also warn that the Republican brand remains weak. Voters “have fallen out of love with the Democrats,” Rep. Adam Putnam tells Politico. “They haven’t yet fallen back in love with us.” In the latest Wall Street Journal/NBC poll, only 30% held a favorable view of Republicans—22% less than felt similarly about President Obama. “Scott Brown didn’t even really run as a Republican,” notes one consultant. “He ran as an outsider.” And the party has a severe diversity problem—its supporters and candidates are overwhelmingly white males. (More Scott Brown stories.)