Republican senators are sounding the alarm that their party could very well be in the minority following the midterm elections.
The messaging here could mean two things — either they are saying this to encourage the GOP base to go out in droves and vote for GOP candidates — or they are already throwing in the towel and have given up due to some discouraging polls.
The polls in question show Arizona Senate candidate Blake Masters and Ohio Senate candidate J.D. Vance losing their Senate races. As we all know, polls don’t tell the whole story, and most times, polls are incorrect.
This is the most recent poll for the Ohio Senate race, and it is encouraging for Vance, considering it was an Impact Research/Democratic internal poll.
POLL: Impact Research/@TimRyan (D) Internal Poll
2022 #OHSen General Election
(D) Tim Ryan 48% (+3)
(R) J.D. Vance 45%800 LV | 7/21-7/28https://t.co/4MOi53EmIl
— PPUSA (@PollProjectUSA) August 6, 2022
As for the Arizona Senate race, this is the latest poll.
On Message (R) poll of ARIZONA:
AZ-SEN
Mark Kelly (D-inc) 49% (+5)
Blake Masters (R) 44%AZ-GEN BALLOT
Republicans 45% (+2)
Democrats 43%600 LV / 08/01-2 / MoE ±4%https://t.co/TGfTdskwhx
— InteractivePolls (@IAPolls2022) August 3, 2022
Both races are winnable, but if the GOP is going to give up already and go in with the mindset of a win will be if the Senate remains 50-50, then that’s what the reality of it will be. But if they are trying to rile up the GOP base to go out in droves and vote, it could be a clever tactic.
Democrat John Fetterman 47%
Republican Dr. Oz 30%
– poll by Center Street
— PoliticsVideoChannel (@politvidchannel) August 9, 2022
The polls for the Pennsylvania Senate race have not favored Mehmet Oz, as the most recent poll showed Fetterman with a 17-point advantage, but if independents turn out due to the Biden administration’s failed policies, even Oz will have a chance to win. It is all about turnout.
Senator Rick Scott (R-FL) told CBS’ “Face the Nation” it’s “going to be a hard year.”
“We have 21 Republicans up, only 14 Democrats … The Democrats are outraising us, but we have good candidates. And I believe Joe Biden is going to be our key here.”
Last week, Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) also tried to temper expectations, telling Fox News:
“I think it’s going to be very tight. We have a 50-50 nation. And I think when this Senate race smoke clears, we’re likely to have a very, very close Senate still, with us up slightly or the Democrats up slightly.”
Republican strategist Doug Heye said:
“There’s been a lot of curtain-measuring on the House sid,e and if Republicans take back the House but it’s by a small margin and they manage to hold onto the Senate even if it’s by one vote, that could cast how we view the election … We’ve seen the expectations game played a lot in Washington, and I think Scott is mindful of that, and depending on where expectations get set you could have a good night that’s defined as a bad night.”
November 8 is fast approaching, and the GOP must do everything possible to convince people to vote red. As RedState’s Bonchie reported, Florida Governor Ron DeSantis will hit the campaign trail this month – traveling to New Mexico, Arizona, Pennsylvania, and Ohio to help the GOP candidates cross the finish line. It’s going to take an all-hands-on-deck approach in all states, by voters who oppose Biden’s policies for the Republicans to win decisively in the House and win the majority in the Senate.
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