We’re now one year away from Election Day 2010, so it’s time to focus seriously on our opportunities to elect more women to Congress. Since House races are still taking shape, we’ll start with the Senate.

First, let’s take a look at the numbers. 

There are currently 17 women Senators. Of those, five are up for re-election: Sens. Barbara Boxer (Calif), Barbara Mikulski (Md), Blanche Lincoln (Ark), Patty Murray (Wash) and Lisa Murkowski (Alaska). Appointed Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand (NY) will face election to the Senate for the first time.

Meanwhile, Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison (Texas) has said she will resign her seat to run full-time for governor. That would set up a special election for her seat next November.

And we are closely watching the Massachusetts Senate special where Attorney General Martha Coakley(Mass) is running for the open seat created by the death of Sen. Ted Kennedy. The primary is Dec. 8 and the general election is Jan. 19.

So the potential for women to gain – or lose seats – in the Senate in 2010 is high.

As is typically the case, the best opportunity for women to pick up seats is in open contests. And women have an opportunity to win open seats in three key states: Missouri, Ohio, and Illinois. So our first crack at 2010 endorsements includes the following three top candidates:

Robin Carnahan, Missouri
The secretary of state of Missouri, Carnahan is the daughter of the late Gov. Mel Carnahan. An attorney with a background in international business, Carnahan is likely to face Rep. Roy Blunt in an open-seat race created by the retirement of Sen. Kit Bond. If Carnahan wins, Missouri will become the fourth state with two women Senators. The other states are California, Washington, and Maine.

Cheryle Jackson, Illinois
The first woman president of the Chicago Urban League, Jackson is running for the seat formerly held by President Barack Obama. If she wins, she is likely to be the only African American in the US Senate. Jackson faces a primary on Feb. 2, and recent polls show she is closing the gap with her closest Democratic contender – state Treasurer Alexi Giannoulias. The Democratic nominee is likely to face GOP Rep. Mark Kirk, but Illinois traditionally elects Democrats to statewide office. If Jackson can eke out a win in the primary, she’s the favorite to win next November.

Jennifer Brunner, Ohio
An attorney and expert in election law, Brunner has focused tirelessly on election reform as secretary of state since 2006. She is facing a tough primary contest against Lt. Gov. Lee Fisher in the open seat race created by the retirement of Sen. George Voinovich. The likely Republican nominee is Rep. Rob Portman.

These women need your support! Please click on any of the links above for more information about their campaigns and information on donating to the effort. Or donate directly to the WomenCount PAC so that we can continue to allocate funding to all of the great women candidates in this cycle.

Remember that it takes women supporting women to increase our numbers. Stay tuned for further updates on House races and Senate incumbents.