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.


US Senate Races Tighten Ahead of Election

Katherine Gypson

   WASHINGTON - With days left until the U.S. election, Democrats are in a
   position to win a handful of Senate races that could give them control
   of the chamber in 2021. No matter who wins the White House, party
   control of the Senate will be a key factor determining how much work
   gets done in Washington for the next two years.

   Republicans currently have a 53-47 Senate majority. If Democratic
   presidential candidate Joe Biden wins the presidency, Democrats would
   need a net pickup of just three Senate seats to assume the majority. If
   U.S. President Donald Trump is elected to a second term, Democrats
   would need to gain four Senate seats to have a working majority.

   According to the nonpartisan Cook Political Report, seven of the 35
   U.S. Senate seats up for reelection November 3 are races that are too
   close to call. All seven of those seats are currently Republican-held.
   Additionally, in this cycle Republicans are defending nearly twice as
   many seats as Democrats, making it more challenging for Republicans to
   maintain their numbers.

   Of the 12 Democrat-held U.S. Senate seats up for reelection, only one
   is rated by Cook Political Report as leaning Republican -- the Alabama
   race between Senator Doug Jones and his Trump-endorsed Republican
   challenger Tommy Tuberville. The former football coach has been leading
   Jones in the polls by double digits since the summer.

   Casey Burgat, director of the Legislative Affairs program at the George
   Washington University Graduate School of Political Management,
   saidpolling data showing a shift in Democrats' favor reflect how many
   races have been nationalized by Trump's presence at the top of the
   ticket.

   "If we think of elections as referendums on those incumbents,
   Republicans are in a really tight spot right now, led by President
   Trump," he said. "Candidates are having to work in their seats to
   distance themselves, to show a streak of independence to say that 'I'm
   just not a vote for an unpopular president.' States where just four
   years ago he was incredibly popular - being that he brought in some
   senators to the Senate based on his election tally. So quite a shift in
   a few short years."

   Here's where a handful of key races stand:

.