A month before the midterm elections, Democrats have opened leads or battled to 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. Republicans hold 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 Democrats have multiple paths to retake the Senate majority despite a challenging map that had favored Republicans.
To win Senate control, Democrats need to flip four Republican-held seats while holding their current seats. On Friday, a top Republican super PAC pulled its money out of the North Carolina Senate race, signaling pessimism about defending that seat. The Senate Leadership Fund plans to redirect resources to Kansas, where Republicans have growing concerns about holding their seat.
Source: New York Times Top Stories · Summarized by HeadlinesBriefing