The state could nevertheless be competitive, particularly if Mr. Obama's overall standing deteriorates.
More than a few people close to the parties involved speculated that Sweeney could launch a primary challenge against Murphy in 2021 if their relationship or Murphy's public standing deteriorates.
In the past two weeks, his standing has deteriorated as the focus of national attention has shifted almost entirely to the economy.
Margaret D. Tutwiler, in her first public appearance as the State Department official in charge of public diplomacy, acknowledged Wednesday that America's standing abroad had deteriorated to such an extent that "it will take us many years of hard, focused work" to restore it.
"Well, he's vomiting everywhere blood... Is that a bad sign?" Singh had just spent the morning, and much of the night before, watching Joe Cinque's condition deteriorate, standing by the bed as his breathing slowed, and his lips turned blue.
But this isn't really good news for him since it implies that his standing will deteriorate some as these Republicans become better known.
Hours earlier, Representative Steve Israel of New York, the chairman of the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee, spoke to Mr. Weiner by phone, bluntly expressing frustration that Mr. Weiner's political standing was deteriorating as new and more embarrassing details of his online relationships were emerging.
That's another way of saying that even the poorest people are getting better off even though their relative standing may deteriorate.
Until then, the Soviet leader had been viewed favorably by Armenians, but following his refusal to alter his stance on the issue, Gorbachev's standing among Armenians deteriorated sharply.
Clarín's standing with the government deteriorated further in 2008, when Mrs. Kirchner raised export taxes on agricultural producers and Clarín sided with farmers striking against the measure.
Pao, in her case against Kleiner Perkins, alleges that her standing at the firm deteriorated after she complained that a partner with whom she had been involved had retaliated against her, professionally, after the affair had ended.
