Fall is in the air. The leaves are changing colors, football season is in full swing and people in battleground states are being inundated by candidates and commercials.
In Washington, the GOP is already breaking out the champagne. Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell is already measuring the drapes in the majority leader’s office.
The anticipation is that the Republican Party will sweep the midterm elections. The common wisdom is that the GOP will gain seats in the House of Representatives and more importantly take control of the Senate.
But not so fast.
Right now there are 45 Republicans in the Senate. There are 53 Democrats and two independents who caucus with the Democrats. To gain a majority, the Republicans need six seats.
The truth is they need more than that.
According to the latest from Real Clear Politics, the current split is 45 Democratic seats that are either not on the ballot or that are safe seats. There are 46 Republican seats that are either not on the ballot or safe. There are nine toss ups.
The Republicans need five of those to get a majority. The common wisdom so far has been that the GOP would get more than five. But among the toss up states are Kentucky, Georgia and Kansas. These states all have Republican incumbents and should be safe GOP seats. In Georgia, Sen. Saxby Chambliss is retiring but in Kansas Pat Roberts is running for re-election and in Kentucky Mr. McConnell is fighting for his political life.
Some of the states the GOP was supposed to pick up don’t look so good now. North Carolina is a toss up, where Democrat Sen. Kay Hagen was supposed to have no chance at reelection.
What happens if the GOP wins only five of those seats and...?
(Excerpt) Read more at washingtontimes.com ...
