Senate map shows signs of expanding
Democrats’ path to the Senate majority has so far centered on four states: Arizona, Colorado, Maine and North Carolina. But there are signs that other seats that Republicans once considered safe may be coming into play.
A survey from the left-leaning firm Public Policy Polling (PPP) released on Monday showed Sen. Joni Ernst’s (R-Iowa) lead over her main Democratic opponent Theresa Greenfield evaporating in Iowa. A Montana State University poll out Tuesday found Sen. Steve Daines (R-Mont.) trailing Gov. Steve Bullock (D) in the state’s Senate race. And two election handicappers — Sabato’s Crystal Ball and The Cook Political Report — moved the South Carolina race between Sen. Lindsey Graham (R) and likely Democratic nominee Jaime Harrison to “Likely Republican” from “Solid Republican” last week, reflecting the increasingly competitive nature of the contest.
“Graham's political skills should not be underestimated, and he’s clearly taking this race quite seriously, as he should. However, we also can't overlook the considerable resume that Harrison also brings to the race, and even South Carolina Republicans admit he is a strong candidate,” the Cook Political Report's Jessica Taylor wrote in an analysis explaining the move.
Democrats are scrambling to grow their pickup opportunities ahead of November, aware that a failure to unseat any of their four core targets in Arizona, Colorado, Maine or North Carolina would drastically complicate their path to the Senate majority. The party needs to net either three or four seats, depending on which party wins the White House in November, to gain control of the chamber. And one of the party’s senators, Doug Jones (D-Ala.), is in serious political trouble this cycle. (He narrowly won a 2017 special election against a highly controversial Republican opponent and election handicappers currently rate the Alabama Senate race as “Lean Republican."
https://thehill.com/homenews/campaign/496245-the-hills-campaign-report-senate-map-shows-signs-of-expanding