A Midterm Sea Change Has Given Democrats A Shot At Taking The Senate

DSCC Chair Sen. Chris Van Hollen (D-MD) said that a sea change had given Democrats a chance to do what many thought was impossible 18 months ago and take control of the Senate.

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Transcript via ABC’s This Week:

STEPHANOPOULOS: Are you prepared for a world Wednesday where Republicans pick up seats in the Senate?

VAN HOLLEN: George, we’re prepared for whatever result we have. But let me just say that the fact that we still have a narrow path to a majority is a sea change from where we were 18 months ago. And as I said, it’s because our candidates have always said they’ll stand up for their states, first and foremost; put aside the politics, do what’s right. And we’re seeing the results here. These are some very close races. And of course, they’re in states that Donald Trump won big. And it’s a testament to these candidates that they’re so focused on what matters to people in their state.

When it comes to healthcare, that is not a top-down issue. It’s not like President Trump going out there and talking about immigration and trying to divide people. And by the way, we’ve just seen a litany of documented false statements and lies from the president on that issue. But on the healthcare issue, this is a bottom-up issue. When Republicans tried to repeal the Affordable Care Act, you found people in rural areas, in rural hospitals, say no. You found the American Cancer Society, the American Diabetes Association, all these local chapters who have nothing to do with politics, said “Don’t take away our protections for healthcare.”

And yet Republicans continue to try to do that.

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After Trump won the 2016 election, Republicans looked at the Senate battleground map for 2018 and dreamed of picking up 9 Senate seats to give themselves a filibuster-proof majority of 60 votes, but that fantasy has evaporated as Democrats have been strong in the red states that Trump carried, and if the results break the right way on Tuesday night, Democrats could take back the Senate.

The odds are still strongly against a Democratic takeover, but it looks like Republicans will be lucky to hold on to the Senate and maintain the 51-49 status quo or potentially pick up one seat.

Republican Senate fortunes have crashed mightily in the last year and a half

Jason Easley

Jason is the managing editor. He is also a White House Press Pool and a Congressional correspondent for PoliticusUSA. Jason has a Bachelor’s Degree in Political Science. His graduate work focused on public policy, with a specialization in social reform movements.

Awards and  Professional Memberships

Member of the Society of Professional Journalists and The American Political Science Association