The contest between Democrats and Republicans to control Congress heads into Election Day much like the presidential race – very close with the outcomes boiling down to just a few states and congressional districts.
Democrats going into Tuesday control the 100-seat Senate with a 51-49 majority, of 47 Democratic senators and four independent senators – Bernie Sanders of Vermont, Angus King of Maine, Kyrsten Sinema of Arizona and Joe Manchin of West Virginia, all of whom typically vote with the majority party.
If GOP presidential nominee former President Donald Trump wins, Republicans need to flip just one seat to gain control of the Senate because the vice president serves as the tie-breaking vote in the chamber. If Vice President Kamala Harris wins, Democrats can afford to lose one Senate seat.
The GOP’s best chance of flipping a Senate seat is in deep-red West Virginia, where outgoing Republican Gov. Jim Justice leads his Democratic challenger by 34 points, according to one of the most recent polls. The seat is held by Manchin, who was a Democrat until becoming an independent earlier this year.
Republicans’ next likely pickup could come in Montana, where incumbent Democratic Sen. Jon Tester is trailing GOP challenger Tim Sheehy by about 6 percentage points, according to the latest polling average from RealClearPolling. Tester has served in the Senate since 2006. […]
— Read More: justthenews.com
