In 1973 the famed baseball coach Yogi Berra said: “It ain’t over till it’s over.” Over the years, many coaches have repeated the phrase to rally their teams to come-from-behind victories. Some are keeping the quote in mind as, with less than two weeks before the midterms, five key races are looking to swing from Democratic to Republican.
The results of just a handful of close races will likely determine which Party controls the House and the Senate.
According to analysis by election forecasters, GOP races that show promise of come-from-behind victories include two House races in California, one House race in Oregon, a Senate race in Arizona, and a Senate race in Pennsylvania.
A brief profile follows:
Arizona Senate race: Republican Blake Masters has gained ground against incumbent Sen. Mark Kelly (D-AZ). The state seems to be shifting from leaning blue to red, with Masters gaining on Kelly and Kari Lake pulling past Katie Hobbs in the gubernatorial race.
A Democrat close to the Kelly campaign told Politico: “We believe this is a race that’s within a point in either direction, and there’s still a good chance that we would lose.”
Pennsylvania Senate race: Following a poor debate performance and speculation regarding Democratic Lt. Gov. John Fetterman’s health following a stroke in May, Dr. Mehmet Oz (R) is pulling past the once heavy favorite in a bid for a Senate seat representing the state of Pennsylvania.
Oregon House race: Republicans have made gains in Oregon in recent weeks. In a race once considered a “toss-up,” polling for the 5th District race between Rep. Kurt Schrader (R-OR) and Jamie McLeod-Skinner (D) now projects a victory for the Republican.
Dan Conston, president of the Congressional Leadership Fund, told the Washington Examiner:
“This is a Democratic-leaning area that Joe Biden won by 9 [points]. In a district like that, we’ve been able to focus on what’s going on in Portland with police cuts, homelessness as an issue, and saying this is what [McLeod-Skinner] wants to bring, and this is the reality of her policies.”
Conston continued: “And I’ll tell you, last week, Democrats walked away from that district. … [Schrader] would have been immeasurably tougher. Could we have beaten him? Maybe. But it would have been a seriously hard fight.”
California House races: Two House races in California have shifted from blue to red. In California’s 27th District, U.S. Rep. Mike Garcia (R) has pulled ahead of Christy Smith (D) in a race formerly deemed a toss-up.
In California’s 49th District, Brian Maryott (R) has made remarkable gains against incumbent Mike Levin (D). The race is now viewed as too close to call.
The Washington Examiner reports that Republicans are projected to win at least 213 House seats — 218 are needed to clinch the majority. Democrats are favored to win 195 seats — 27 races remain too close to call.
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