A month before the midterm elections, Democrats have opened leads or battled their way to ties or near-ties in five reliably Republican states where they are trying to flip Senate seats to win control of the chamber, according to new New York Times/Siena University polls. Democrats lead among likely voters in the Senate races in Texas and Alaska, two states that consistently vote Republican. They have an edge in Ohio, which has been tilting rightward for years.
Republicans have a slim edge in Iowa, and Democrats are neck-and-neck with Republicans in Kansas, which has not voted for a Democratic senator since 1932. President Trump’s deep unpopularity, disapproval of the Iran war and frustration over high gas prices and the cost of living are reshaping the electoral landscape. Taken together, the new polls suggest that the Democrats have multiple paths to retake the Senate majority, despite a challenging map that had favored Republicans going into the midterms.
To win Senate control, Democrats need to flip four Republican-held seats while holding on to their current seats in three battleground states. On Friday, a top Republican super PAC pulled its money out of the Senate race in North Carolina, signaling that the party is not optimistic about being able to defend its seat there. The super PAC, called the Senate Leadership Fund, plans to redirect resources to Kansas, where Republicans have growing concerns about holding their seat.
In Texas, James Talarico, a Democratic state representative, has opened up a six-percentage-point lead in the race against Ken Paxton, the scandal-plagued attorney general and Republican nominee who has been strongly supported by Mr. Trump. In Alaska, former Representative Mary Peltola, a Democrat, is ahead of Senator Dan S. Sullivan, the Republican incumbent, by seven percentage points.
In Ohio, former Senator Sherrod Brown, a Democrat, holds a narrow three-point edge in his comeback bid against Senator Jon Husted, the Republican incumbent. In Iowa, Representative Ashley Hinson, the Republican nominee, has a one-point edge over State Representative Josh Turek, the Democrat. In Kansas, the Rev.
Adam Hamilton, the Democratic nominee, and Senator Roger Marshall are locked in a dead heat. Across the five states, Democrats hold a 24-point advantage with independent voters, who often decide elections.
Source: New York Times Top Stories · Summarized by HeadlinesBriefing