Republican candidates appear to be making gains in the final weeks of the campaign, with new election forecasts in key swing states showing warning signs for Democrats.
In Ohio, 40% of likely voters would prefer the House and Senate to be controlled by Republicans, compared to 33% who would prefer to have Democrats in charge, according to a Spectrum News/ Siena College poll released Monday.
The result came even as respondents in the same Ohio poll were split on the two Senate candidates in fierce competition for the seat being left open by Rob Portman. There was a margin of error of plus or minus 5.1 percentage points.
Republican Senate hopeful J.D. Vance, who is backed by former President Donald Trump, has a polling advantage over Tim Ryan, who is seen as an outsider.
The Siena survey last month showed Ryan up by 3 percentage points.
In an election cycle where the incumbent president's party tends to be disfavored, voters' preference for a GOP-controlled Congress underscores Democrats' struggles.
Democrats have a slim congressional majority even in blue states.
The Cook Political Report changed its rating for New York's 17th Congressional District to "Toss Up" from "Lean Democrat" due to internal polls showing a Democratic congressman in a fight against a Republican.
There is a five-term incumbent in the House. He was criticized after he pushed out a progressive freshman in a neighboring district in order to get reelected.
The Washington Post reported that a Republican super PAC started spending millions of dollars in the district, spurring Democrats to increase their spending.
The Texas poll shows Greg Abbott with a big lead over Beto O'Rourke. Abbott seems unaffected by the O'Rourke campaign's record-breaking fundraising efforts. There was a plus or minus 5.1 percentage point margin of error in the survey.
The high inflation that has hampered President Joe Biden's first term in office is one of the reasons why Democrats fought to combat GOP messaging on crime.
Biden's approval rating remains underwater and is seen as a potential drag on the Democrats in battleground states.
The Democrats had a lead in the race for the Senate over the summer, as the Republicans looked to be behind in a number of key races.
Mehmet Oz and Herschel Walker have shored up their polling deficits and now appear to be neck and neck with their Democratic rivals. According to FiveThirtyEight's tracker, Democrats' chances of holding the Senate are now less than they used to be.
All Rights Reserved © 2024
