Dozens of Democratic Seats May Go To Republicans
(TheRedWire.com) – Most political pundits predicted a red wave at the beginning of the year after Congressional Democrats moved hard left in 2021. President Joe Biden and his Democratic allies in Congress pushed the “Build Back Better” proposal that ultimately failed but would have radically altered climate, economic, and social policies. As the president’s polls continued to crater into the summer, the Left mobilized heavily on abortion after the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade. Now, it appears it could be dimming with a little more than three weeks until the midterm elections on November 8.
The newest election map from RealClearPolitics showed Republicans are gaining momentum across the country. GOP candidates only need to flip five House seats to sideline Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) and one seat to make Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) the minority leader, effectively putting the kibosh on Biden’s agenda. As it stands, dozens of seats held by Democrats may flip to Republicans, and it might get worse.
GOP Could Significantly Flip Congress
The current partisan makeup of the House is 220 Democrats, 212 Republicans, and three vacancies. The map predicts the House may flip to 220 GOP representatives and 180 Dems, with 35 races labeled as toss-ups.
Even more weighty for Democrats, their candidates’ status changes, as tabulated by RealClearPolitics, are going in the wrong direction. Over the last 10 days, all the races that changed categories for the worst involved Democratic candidates. The labels moved from “safe Dem” progressively toward “toss-up,” calling once predictable slates into question for many candidates.
Currently, Democrats and Republicans evenly split the Senate. Since Vice President Kamala Harris breaks any tie, the fragile majority belongs to the Liberals. The map shows a slight improvement for the GOP, with a potential 47 seats going to Conservatives and 46 to Democrats. Polls list seven as toss-ups. Still, the pattern in the Senate reflects the House as Republicans continue to gain momentum. Five races show the GOP gaining steam in Alaska, Missouri, Washington, Vermont and Ohio. Democrats currently hold the Washington and Vermont seats.
Poll Shows More Problems for Democrats
On October 3, a Monmouth University poll showed that economic issues are the top issue on voters’ minds. It showed a 10-point swing in September toward Republicans. In October, the Democrats’ prospects of holding on to either chamber could be an uphill battle. Most voters don’t place their highest priorities on the top issues the more liberal candidates have chosen to highlight. The poll noted that concerns about rights and democracy aren’t nearly as significant factors as the economy or crime in how they may cast a ballot.
The poll stated that 36% of voters want the GOP in charge of Congress, and 11% have not decided but indicate they lean Republican. Still, 34% said they preferred Democrats, and 10% of undecided voters lean liberal.
So, what does it mean?
Monmouth noted that 47% of the combined group favoring Republicans is up from 43% in August. Democrats are down from 50% to the combined 44%.
So, will the GOP steal dozens of Democratic seats on November 8? We’ll find out soon enough in the ultimate poll on election day.
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