The Washington Post’s Jennifer Rubin has a new piece out that highlights how certain U.S. Senate races are shaping up to put Moscow Mitch’s GOP majority in danger:
Sen. Susan Collins (R-Maine), whose pusillanimity has become comic (e.g., she finds President Trump’s conduct during the pandemic “very uneven”), now has an approval rating of 37 percent with a disapproval rating of 52 percent. (Compare that to the 60-percent approval for Maine’s Democratic Gov. Janet Mills.) Meanwhile, “Democratic U.S. Senate candidate Sara Gideon raised $7.1 million during the first quarter of 2020, surpassing Republican Sen. Susan Collins after the incumbent had already set a record for the most fundraising during a Maine campaign.” Gideon has raised a total of $14.8 million; Collins, $13.2 million (although Collins has a million more in cash on hand.)
Arizona is becoming a disaster zone for Republicans. In the most recent poll, Democrat Mark Kelly (husband of gun safety activist Gabrielle Giffords and a former astronaut) leads appointed incumbent Republican Sen. Martha McSally by nine points. He leads in the RealClearPolitics averages by eight points. Political scientist Larry Sabato’s Crystal Ball now rates the race as “leans Democrat.”
North Carolina has also turned dicey for Republicans. Incumbent Republican Sen. Thom Tillis is in a statistical dead heat in the RCP averages with Democratic challenger Cal Cunningham. One poll has Tillis’s approval rating at a dreadful 26 percent. Cunningham also had a massive fundraising haul in the first quarter, raising $4.4 million. Sabato rates this race as a toss-up.
Sen. Cory Gardner (R-Colo.) is the underdog in a race against former Democratic governor John Hickenlooper, with most analysts suggesting the race favors Hickenlooper. Gardner has more cash on hand, but Hickenlooper substantially out-raised him in the first quarter ($4.1 million vs. $2.5 million).
Rubin mentions that even if Democrats lose the Alabama Senate race, winning these four states would still give them a 50-50 split. But Rubin also highlights that Democratic challengers are far outpacing Republicans incumbents fundraising in Kentucky, South Carolina, Kansas and Montana. Give the piece a read and when you’re done, please do donate and get involved with these Senate Democratic candidates campaigns:
Sara Gideon (D. ME)
Mark Kelly (D. AZ)
Cal Cunningham (D. NC)
John Hickenlooper (D. CO)
Amy McGrath (D. KY)
Jaime Harrison (D. SC)
Barbara Bollier (R. KS)
Steve Bullock (D. MT)