Originally posted by the Voice of America.
Voice of America content is produced by the Voice of America,
a United States federal government-sponsored entity, and is in
the public domain.


Pandemic Complicates Battle for US Senate Control

Katherine Gypson

   WASHINGTON - With more than five months to go until Election Day 2020
   and coronavirus lockdowns just beginning to ease around the nation,
   control of the U.S. Senate is still too early to call. But some key
   polling numbers from around the country are providing insight into a
   pandemic-era election that will look very different and have
   far-reaching consequences for governance in the United States.

   One-third of the U.S. Senate, currently controlled by Republicans, is
   up for re-election in 2020. Right now, 45 Democrats sit in the Senate,
   along with two independents who usually vote with Democrats. To win a
   majority in November, Democrats will have to flip three to four seats
   to their control. If President Donald Trump is re-elected in the fall,
   a Democratic-majority U.S. Senate could severely hamper his second-term
   agenda.

   The unknown element in this year's election is the course of the
   pandemic. Analysts cannot predict the impact of an autumn resurgence of
   the virus as some health experts anticipate, driving voters away from
   the polls. Data suggests the pandemic has already impacted voter
   registration numbers which had been on a pace to break the record set
   in the last presidential election year of 2016.

   Here's a look at several states whose Senate races will determine that
   outcome:

   Alabama

   President Trump's former attorney general, Jeff Sessions, has kept the
   Alabama Senate race in the national spotlight. Sessions' run-off race
   with former football coach Tommy Tuberville drew the attention of Trump
   last week when he Tweeted "Jeff, you had your chance & you blew it.
   Recused yourself ON DAY ONE (you never told me of a problem), and ran
   for the hills. You had no courage, & ruined many lives."

.