Five New Polls Show Republicans Haven’t Closed The Deal On Senate Control

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New polling from Fox News shows that, while Republicans still have an edge in battleground Senate races, they still haven’t closed the deal with less than a week before Americans head to the polls.

According to the surveys, Democratic candidates are either ahead, tied or within striking distance of their Republican opponents in a slew of red states that are must-wins for the GOP if they want to maintain control of the Senate.

In Arizona, Democratic candidate Kyrsten Sinema is tied with GOP opponent Martha McSally.

In Indiana, Democrat Joe Donnelly has come from behind to take a solid seven-point lead over GOP opponent Mike Braun.

In Missouri, the race between incumbent Democratic Sen. Claire remains unchanged from the last poll, with the two candidates tied.

In deep-red Tennessee, Republican candidate Marsha Blackburn has a single-digit lead over Democratic challenger Phil Bredesen.

The margin is the same in North Dakota, a state that’s difficult to poll, as Heidi Heitkamp has pulled to within single digits of her Republican opponent Kevin Kramer.

In the case of the North Dakota Senate race, polling from around the same time in 2012 showed Heidi Heitkamp behind her GOP opponent. She ended up winning that race.

Republicans haven’t put away contests in their own territory

While the GOP still remains the favorite to keep control of the U.S. Senate after next month’s elections, the new polling suggests that they haven’t completely put it away yet – even in states that are deeply Republican.

As even Fox News put it on Wednesday, “With six days until the election, three of the five U.S. Senate races could go either way — and while Republicans hold leads in the other two, Democratic enthusiasm could still close the gap.”

It was always be going to be tough for Democrats to win control of the Senate, even in a wave election year, but if progressive voters turn out in larger-than-expected numbers next week, it is not inconceivable – though still not highly likely – that Democrats can pull off some surprising victories.

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Sean Colarossi

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.

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