The US Capitol in Washington, DC. The bulk within the US Senate is on the road on November 3. | Xinhua/Ting Shen by way of Getty Photographs
The US Capitol in Washington, DC. The bulk within the US Senate is on the road on November 3. | Xinhua/Ting Shen by way of Getty Photographs
Can the Democrats take again Congress’s higher chamber?
Whereas a lot of the nationwide focus has been on the presidential race between Donald Trump and Joe Biden, the battle for management of the US Senate is sort of as essential.
Republicans presently maintain a 53-47 majority (together with two independents who caucus with the Democrats), so Democrats have to flip at the very least 4 seats to assert the chamber they misplaced throughout the 2014 midterms. However polling from all through the marketing campaign season suggests they’ve an opportunity to take action.
The almost definitely races to flip are Maine, Colorado, and Arizona. In Maine, Republican Susan Collins — the one GOP member to vote in opposition to the affirmation of Supreme Courtroom Justice Amy Coney Barrett — is in for a troublesome battle in opposition to Sara Gideon, the speaker of the state Home of Representatives. In Colorado, Sen. Cory Gardner is being challenged by former Gov. John Hickenlooper, who presently leads within the polls. And in Arizona, incumbent Martha McSally is up in opposition to Mark Kelly, an astronaut and former Navy captain.
Even when Democrats win all three of these seats, they’ll nonetheless want at the very least another to take the bulk. Probably extra, if endangered Democrats in Alabama and (to a lesser extent) Michigan lose their seats. These further pickups may are available North Carolina, the place Thom Tillis faces a problem from Cal Cunningham, though Cunningham’s prospects had been hit barely by a intercourse scandal in early October. It may are available Iowa, which has one of many tightest races of all between Sen. Joni Ernst and Democrat Theresa Greenfield. And it may even are available Montana, the place Gov. Steve Bullock is difficult incumbent Republican Steve Daines.
Democrats have laid out an formidable listing of what they’d like to perform in the event that they retake the chamber; Republicans have a narrower listing if they maintain it, together with a light-weight stimulus package deal.
The stakes of this election are excessive. Comply with alongside beneath for Vox’s election protection, together with reside outcomes, breaking information updates, evaluation, and extra.