Last updated on July 17th, 2023 at 09:02 pm
If recent polling is any indication, it’s not just Donald Trump’s campaign hopes that are falling apart – Republican Senate candidates are also starting to panic.
According to 270towin.com, there are currently 11 Senate seats considered to be competitive at this stage in the 2016 campaign – Nevada, Arizona, Missouri, Illinois, Wisconsin, Indiana, Ohio, Florida, North Carolina, Pennsylvania and New Hampshire.
If Hillary Clinton wins the White House, which is becoming more likely by the day, then Democrats need to carry five of those 11 seats in order to have control of the Senate (with potential Vice President Tim Kaine as the tiebreaker).
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The good news is that recent polling shows the Democrats have a solid chance of doing just that.
In the North Carolina Senate race, a survey released yesterday by NBC News/Marist shows that Democratic candidate Deborah Ross is leading their incumbent Republican Sen. Richard Burr by two points.
In Pennsylvania, another poll released this week shows Democratic candidate Katie McGinty leading opponent Pat Toomey by four points.
The Wisconsin Senate race between Russ Feingold and Ron Johnson is proving to be very favorable for the blue team, too, with Feingold leading by 11 points in the latest Marquette poll.
In Illinois, another good pick up opportunity for Democrats, Tammy Duckworth led Republican opponent Mark Kirk by six points in a poll conducted earlier this month.
The Democratic candidate in New Hampshire, Maggie Hassan, has opened up a 10-point lead over GOP Sen. Kelly Ayotte in the latest WBUR/MassINC poll.
Even in deep-red Indiana, Democratic candidate Evan Bayh – who made a surprising, last-minute decision to enter the race – has a double-digit lead over Republican opponent Todd Young.
If the current polling holds in these states and Trump continues to drag down Republican Senate candidates, the Democrats will have won 51 seats and control of the U.S. Senate. That’s before we factor in what will happen in the remaining five Senate races.
Donald Trump hasn’t just been a gift for Hillary Clinton – he’s been a godsend for Democratic Senate candidates across the country.
Sean Colarossi currently resides in Cleveland, Ohio. He earned his Bachelor of Arts degree in Journalism from the University of Massachusetts Amherst and was an organizing fellow for both of President Obama’s presidential campaigns. He also worked with Planned Parenthood as an Affordable Care Act Outreach Organizer in 2014, helping northeast Ohio residents obtain health insurance coverage.
