Polling numbers in some places point to advances for Democrats that just COULD get them a MAJORITY in the Senate next year…..
Adding THAT to the expected US House majority would be HUGE problems for Donald Trump’s last two years in office….
Folks?
Dem’s gonna need some good luck and more mess-ups by Trump & Co.
Across the country, a handful of races will determine whether Republicans hold the majority, which they are favored to retain.
But Democrats’ once long-shot chances to take over the Senate have improved as economic pressures sour voters’ outlook and President Donald Trump’s approval ratings drop in key Republican strongholds. The president has downplayed worries about housing costs and other affordability concerns, creating an opening for Democrats to appeal to financially pinched voters who might have otherwise sided with the GOP.
“There is buyer’s remorse for President Trump and his economy, and the Republicans are being blamed for that,” said Jessica Taylor, who analyzes Senate races for the nonpartisan Cook Political Report.
“You have the president who doesn’t really seem to be prioritizing the issue that voters say they care about: affordability,” she said.
Those trends help the likelihood that Democrats could win the Senate — despite the roiling Democratic primary in Michigan and this week’s implosion of Platner’s campaign in Maine following an allegation of sexual assault.
Republicans have a 53-47 advantage in the Senate. Democrats must retain every seat they hold now plus flip at least four Republican ones. Most targets are states Trump won by double-digit margins two years ago.
The Democrats’ optimism is tinged with a hard reality check, as Jim Manley, a senior Democratic strategist and former top Senate aide, put it this week: “We truly have a chance to try and flip the Senate, but only if everything goes just exactly perfectly.”
Here are the races to watch, according to Cook Political Report rankings.
Democrats’ best pickup opportunities: North Carolina, Maine, Ohio and Alaska
Four seats held by Republicans are either toss-up races or have a strong chance of being won by Democrats — one more highly competitive race than Democrats eyed three months ago…..
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