With the closest presidential race in contemporary history, the Republicans’ task of taking back the U.S. Senate is becoming increasingly essential. On that front, novel polls show a key race leaning heavily toward the Republican Party.
Tim Sheehy now leads incumbent Democratic Senator Jon Tester by a whopping eight points, continuing the trend of sturdy results for the Republican. Sheehy also passed the essential 50 percent hurdle.
SEE ALSO: Tim Sheehy destroys Jon Tester so badly Montana Senate race could be over
Tester lost 8 and Sheehy in #mtsen and according to NYT-Siena polls, there are currently two long-term chances of victory for the Democrats that are just out of reach. Since WV went for Ds, that means a GOP majority if this is true https://t.co/e89xivIYgn pic.twitter.com/GCEskOEqWB
– Manu Raju (@mkraju) October 10, 2024
With Republican Jim Justice all but assured of victory in West Virginia and taking former Democratic Sen. Joe Manchin’s vacant seat, a win in Montana would go a long way toward securing the Senate for the GOP. In Ohio, Republican Bernie Moreno is also gaining ground over incumbent Senator Sherrod Brown. This race is within a point or two, and with Ohio being a red state, there is reason to be positive that Moreno could take the win.
Surprisingly, the danger for Republicans now lies in Nebraska. Dan Osborn, a Marine veteran and union leader, is running as an independent and has raised a lot of outside money. That has put incumbent Republican Sen. Deb Fischer on the defensive, with some recent polls showing Osborn with a lead.
It’s questionable how reliable the statements sponsored by Osborn’s campaign are, but Republicans are scared enough that they’re now pouring money into the state. If Moreno doesn’t win in Ohio, the loss in Nebraska could result in the Senate remaining in Democratic hands, depending on who wins the presidential election.
Still, the recent polls shown above offer more good news for Republicans. There was some hope among Democrats that they could hold their own in Texas and Florida, as previous polls had shown the margin of error there was high. That hope has largely disappeared, with Ted Cruz holding a comfortable four-point lead and Rick Scott heading for a blowout.
As long as Republicans hold out in Nebraska, things appear to be a dead end. With three weeks left in this election cycle, the Republican Party has a chance to bombard the airwaves and regain momentum there. This is absolutely necessary and in this context several million dollars have recently been allocated to the race. We’ll have to see what impact it has on things.
Long story miniature, you’d rather be a Republican right now when it comes to taking back the Senate, and the more the Republicans are ahead, the more viable the majority will be. Ultimately, if Kamala Harris wins, this would be the only hurdle stopping her from completely destroying America’s institutions, from the Supreme Court to the filibuster to the Electoral College. Voters should keep this in mind when they go to the polls. This is not the time to split tickets in these red states.
