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☆ Democrats hold slim leads over GOP rivals in key Senate races in Pa., Ga. and Ariz., new poll shows
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-31 | by ( Kevin Breuninger | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +4 min

The survey shows Democrats hold slim leads over their Republican opponents in Senate races in Arizona, Pennsylvania and Georgia, while the two competitors in Nevada are locked in a dead heat. A Republican-controlled Senate could sink President Joe Biden's hopes for passing major legislation in the final two years of his first term. That result, taken from 604 likely voters between Oct. 24 and Oct. 26, fell outside the poll's margin of error of 4.4 percentage points. The pollsters surveyed 885 likely voters in Nevada between Oct. 19 and Oct. 24; the results carry a 4.2-percentage-point margin of error. They also have pinned high inflation, a global phenomenon in the last two years, on Biden's and the Democrats' policies.

☆ Schumer says Warnock's Senate race against Walker is 'going downhill' in remarks to president
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-28 | by ( Https | Media-Cldnry.S-Nbcnews.Com Image Upload Newscms Rebecca-Shabad-Circle-Byline-Template.Jpg | Rebecca Shabad | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +2 min

WASHINGTON — Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., expressed concern Thursday about Sen. Raphael Warnock's re-election race against Republican Herschel Walker during a conversation with President Joe Biden. The private discussion was picked up on a microphone and camera while they stood on an airport tarmac in Syracuse, N.Y., with Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand, D-N.Y., and Democratic Gov. During the conversation, Schumer brought up the Pennsylvania Senate race and the debate Tuesday between Democratic Lt. Gov. The Democratic leader could also be heard mentioning the Senate race in Nevada, where Sen. Catherine Cortez Masto is running for re-election against Republican Adam Laxalt. Asked about Schumer’s remarks to Biden, Justin Goodman, a spokesman for the majority leader, told NBC News, "Schumer believes the Democratic candidates will win."

☆ The sleeper county that could decide the Senate
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-28 | by ( Natasha Korecki | Natasha Korecki Is A Senior National Political Reporter For Nbc News. | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +10 min

All of those factors make Washoe County the ultimate battleground for Cortez Masto and Laxalt. Both campaigns say that in the final 11 days, they’re swamping Washoe County with TV ads, canvassers and events. “Without a significant win in Washoe County, she has very few paths of winning Nevada.”Washoe County eluded Cortez Masto and Laxalt in their most recent statewide races. “The Democrats keep harping on that item here,” Bruce Parks, the Washoe County Republican chair, said of the abortion issue. “As I talk to Nevadans, including in Washoe County, it’s a combination of things — it’s not just the kitchen table issues,” she said.

ATLANTA — Democratic strategists are agonizing about headwinds in the closing stretch of the 2022 campaign, with some fearing the election will be worse for the party than polls indicate. Now comes the moment of truth: Can they pull off one final act of levitation in the sprint to Election Day? “I definitely think that the political gravity is starting to reinforce itself,” said Sean McElwee, executive director of the Democratic-affiliated polling firm Data For Progress. “Maybe they can stretch it to 6 or 7 [points], but I think somewhere gravity kicks in.”“There’s a tightening happening,” Taylor added. The recent NBC News poll found that Democrats led Republicans by 1 point on which party voters prefer to control Congress.

☆ Hot mic catches Schumer warning Biden that Democrats are 'going downhill' in Georgia as Herschel Walker climbs in polls
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-27 | by ( Warren Rojas | Brent D. Griffiths | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Chuck Schumer was caught on a hot mic dishing about Democrats' chances of holding the Senate. Schumer was overheard telling Biden that Georgia looks increasingly bad for the party. "The state where we're going downhill is Georgia," Schumer said of Democratic Sen. Raphael Warnock's highly charged reelection bid. The top Senate Democrat was also overheard telling Biden that Pennsylvania Lt. Gov. "Schumer believes the Democratic candidates will win," Justin Goodmnan, a Schumer spokesperson, said in a statement.

☆ Democrats turn to Obama for midterm miracle, or at least to stem the bleeding
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-27 | by ( James Oliphant | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

Obama will hit a fifth state, Michigan, which has a competitive governor's race, along the way. "President Obama remains able to unite base Democrats, persuadable voters, and to motivate demographics less likely to turn out in midterm elections like young people," said Ben LaBolt, who served as spokesman for the first Black president's successful 2012 re-election campaign. "Bringing in President Obama helps to underscore the importance of African-American vote, while also exciting other voters." But Democrats will have to wonder if that will be enough, as recent polling has shown Republican candidates gaining strength across the board. The Senate race is Georgia is essentially tied, even as Walker has been hamstrung by a series of controversies.

IllinoisIn Illinois, two candidates are looking to make history as the state's first Latina congresswoman: Democratic state Rep. Delia Ramirez in the state's 3rd Congressional District, and Republican newcomer Catalina Lauf in the 11th Congressional District. OregonIn Oregon, two candidates are looking to become the state’s first Latina congresswoman: Democratic state Rep. Andrea Salinas and Republican Lori Chavez-DeRemer, the former mayor of Happy Valley. Flores is on the ballot again in November to defend her newly won seat representing Texas’ 34th Congressional District. Among them are Jenny Garcia Sharon in the 37th Congressional District and Carmen Maria Montiel in the 18th District. Justin Sullivan / Getty Images fileSen. Catherine Cortez Masto, a Democrat, made history as the first Latina elected to the U.S. Senate and the first woman elected to the Senate from Nevada.

☆ Nevada in Play for Republicans in Key Midterm Races Over Inflation Issue
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-26 | by ( Jim Carlton | Siobhan Hughes | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

LAS VEGAS—Nevada Republicans stand in their strongest position in years, as polls show them with a solid chance to win multiple midterm races in a state where high prices on everything from gasoline to rent are driving voters away from Democrats. The state’s top Democrats, Sen. Catherine Cortez Masto and Gov. Steve Sisolak , are essentially tied with their respective GOP challengers, Adam Laxalt and Clark County Sheriff Joseph Lombardo , according to FiveThirtyEight’s poll averages. Multiple recent surveys of the state show the two Republicans with leads in the low single digits, and Ms. Cortez Masto is considered by strategists in both parties to be the most vulnerable Democratic incumbent in the 50-50 Senate.

☆ In Nevada, national Republicans exude optimism over Senate takeover: 'People are fed up'
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-23 | by ( Natasha Korecki | Natasha Korecki Is A Senior National Political Reporter For Nbc News. | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +4 min

The Nevada Senate race remains within the margin of error, but McDaniel called Scott’s aggressive early spending critical to having blunt attacks from Democrats, when the national conversation centered on the Supreme Court’s decision to overturn Roe vs. Wade. [Then] once our candidates had the money to get on TV, they closed the gap," McDaniel said. Vance in Ohio, McDaniel and Scott both quickly called it a “team sport,” without specifically naming McConnell, despite his group’s sizable investments. Some Republicans have expressed frustration over Scott, saying he spent too much too soon while his group’s fundraising this year fell behind the pace it held in previous campaign years. Cortez Masto, the first-ever Latina elected to the Senate, scoffed when asked about Laxalt's contention that he's eating into her Latino support.

☆ Democrats struggle with message on inflation in final midterm push
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-22 | by ( Https | Media-Cldnry.S-Nbcnews.Com Image Upload Newscms Shannon-Pettypiece-Circle-Byline-Template.Jpg | Shannon Pettypiece | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +10 min

“What is our message about why inflation is going to be worse if Republicans win?” Rep. Ro Khanna, D-Calif., told NBC News in an interview. Even as President Joe Biden and some candidates sharpen their focus on inflation, many Democrats are worried it may be coming too late. “Ads for both parties discussed inflation during the early summer, but since then, pro-Democratic ads have avoided mentions of inflation while pro-Republican ads have increased their discussion of inflation,” the researchers wrote. Economic issues are hitting voters particularly hard in states where Democrats’ control of the Senate hangs in the balance, including Arizona, Georgia and Nevada. In campaign appearances and ads, she’s frequently attempted to explain to voters that the Inflation Reduction Act will lower costs for voters.

☆ Cortez Masto says her GOP opponent should face 'consequences' for claiming the 2020 election was rigged
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-22 | by ( Natasha Korecki | Natasha Korecki Is A Senior National Political Reporter For Nbc News. | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +4 min

RENO, Nev. — One day before early voting begins here, Sen. Catherine Cortez Masto argued that voters should rebuke her GOP opponent at the ballot box for his role in promoting falsehoods about the 2020 election. Cortez Masto is locked in what appears to be dead heat against Laxalt, the Republican former attorney general of Nevada who has said the 2020 election was "rigged." In that same interview, Laxalt said, “There’s no question they rigged the election,” referring to 2020. In Nevada, Cortez Masto is battling to retain her Senate seat in a contest that could determine the balance of power in the U.S. Senate. Cortez Masto’s messaging is part of a concerted effort by her campaign focusing on Laxalt’s past remarks on voter fraud.

“I think it’s going to be significant,” Chuck Coughlin, an Arizona Republican pollster, said of the third-party impact on key Senate races. Angela McArdle, the chair of the Libertarian National Committee, said it’s not her party's job to protect Republican candidates who are alienating voters. "If Republicans fear that Libertarians are going to be spoilers, Republicans need to run more liberty-minded candidates," McArdle told NBC News. Much attention has been paid to the level of support third-party candidates can wrestle from the major party contenders in recent election cycles, particularly on the presidential level. "We have to wait to see the melt on these third-party candidates," he said.

☆ Sen. Catherine Cortez Masto faces off against Republican Adam Laxalt in Nevada's closely watched US Senate race
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-21 | by ( Brent D. Griffiths | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Democratic US Sen. Catherine Cortez Masto is running against Republican Adam Laxalt in Nevada. A protégé of the late-Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, Cortez Masto made history as the first Latina elected to the US Senate when she succeeded Reid in 2017. If Cortez Masto manages to hold on, the GOP's path to 51 seats becomes even more perilous and Democrats' odds of retaining power in the Senate improve. The money raceAccording to OpenSecrets, Cortez Masto has raised $44 million, spent $39.1 million, and has roughly $5.1 million on hand, as of September 30. What experts sayThe race between Cortez Masto and Laxalt is unanimously rated as a "toss-up" by Inside Elections, The Cook Political Report, and Sabato's Crystal Ball at the University of Virginia Center for Politics.

☆ Paper shortages — and skyrocketing prices — are pinching political candidates during election 2022 crunch time
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-19 | by ( Madison Hall | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +7 min

Political candidates are facing an expensive enemy this election season: paper shortages. Distributors and printers told Insider that the cost of paper has risen anywhere between 10% to 60%. Political candidates use paper for a plethora of marketing materials, including mailers, posters, lawn signs, flyers, and, envelopes — and jurisdictions across the country also use paper for ballots. The majority of campaigns did not reply or declined to comment, but Republican candidates who responded universally blamed President Joe Biden for the paper shortage. The real reason for the shortageMilligan told Insider there's been a 40% reduction in paper consumption during the last 10 years.

WisconsinDemocrats see Republican Sen. Ron Johnson as a vulnerable incumbent. Barnes has espoused progressive views in office, but his Senate campaign has focused more on pocketbook issues such as inflation and taxes. Vance appears locked in a tight Senate race against Democratic Rep. Tim Ryan, despite running in a red-leaning state that Trump won handily in 2020. Incumbent Democratic Sen. Maggie Hassan's approval ratings have fallen, including among unaffiliated voters who make up a major chunk of the state's electorate. FloridaFormer Orlando police chief and Democratic Rep. Val Demings aims to unseat incumbent Republican Sen. Marco Rubio.

☆ Democrats in key Senate races have more cash to spend than Republicans in the final midterm push
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-17 | by ( Brian Schwartz | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

Democrats running in some of the country's closest Senate races headed into the final weeks of their campaigns with a cash edge over their Republican rivals, according to newly released Federal Election Commission records. While Democratic candidates have outraised Republicans in many of the most important Senate races, outside GOP groups such as the Mitch McConnell-aligned Senate Leadership Fund have helped to close the gap. Fetterman leads GOP candidate Mehmet Oz by more than 3 percentage points, according to RealClearPolitics. Warnock also leads Republican Herschel Walker by an average of about 3 percentage points, according to the site. The Nevada incumbent trails Republican Adam Laxalt by an average of just under 2 percentage points, according to RealClearPolitics.

☆ Nevada stands alone as only battleground without a Senate debate before midterms
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-13 | by ( Natasha Korecki | Natasha Korecki Is A Senior National Political Reporter For Nbc News. | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +2 min

Asked whether her campaign expected her to debate Laxalt, a spokesman for Cortez Masto said Wednesday: “We do not, unfortunately.”Each campaign claimed it was the other side’s fault. Cortez Masto is considered the most vulnerable incumbent among Senate Democrats seeking re-election. Arizona Senate candidates met last week, while Georgia Senate hopefuls square off Friday. Senate candidates in Ohio and North Carolina have already debated, while debates are scheduled for the candidates in Florida, Pennsylvania and New Hampshire. In June, Cortez Masto committed to three debates, one of which was to be broadcast on Spanish-language TV.

☆ Trump said former President George H.W. Bush kept secret government documents in a combination bowling alley and Chinese restaurant and should be investigated. Bush died in 2018.
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-10 | by ( Isabella Zavarise | Hannah Getahun | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Bush stored documents at a former bowling alley turned Chinese restaurant. Trump said many other presidents stored millions of pages of documents in warehouses, "some of them without front doors that worked." Bush, "took millions and millions of documents to a former bowling alley pieced together with what was then an old and broken Chinese restaurant. Michael Cohen, a former lawyer for Trump, recently said the former president held onto documents for his own personal gain. Representatives for the George and Barbara Bush Foundation and Trump did not respond to Insider's request for comment.

☆ With Control of the Senate in Play, These Are the Races to Watch
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-07 | by ( Lauren Leatherand Jonathan Weisman | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +5 min

With the Senate knotted at 50-50 for each party, Republican control is only one seat away. But recent fumbles by Republican candidates in New Hampshire, Georgia and Arizona have made finding those two winnable races more difficult. Then came the accusation that Mr. Walker, a staunch opponent of abortion, paid for an ex-girlfriend's abortion, and the race turned upside-down. Cook Political Report still rates the contest a tossup, but the new allegations have given Mr. Warnock an edge and put Mr. Walker on the defensive. The Democrats’ best chance to pick up a Republican seat is in Pennsylvania , where Senator Patrick J. Toomey is retiring.

☆ Republican challenger in Nevada Senate race refuses to back FBI, calls it 'far too political'
▼ + stars: | 2022-09-29 | by ( Natasha Korecki | Natasha Korecki Is A Senior National Political Reporter For Nbc News. | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +2 min

But after the event, Laxalt, a Republican who was once Nevada's top law enforcement official, refused to support the FBI. "We just can't afford to have our top law enforcement agency that politicized." Laxalt made his most recent remarks after a campaign event with Nikki Haley, the former governor of South Carolina who was the U.N. ambassador in the Trump administration. Both Haley and Laxalt lobbed attacks on Cortez Masto and highlighted law enforcement endorsements of Laxalt, who said "95% of police in this state are supporting me." More than 850 people have been charged in connection with the Jan. 6 attack, and over 350 have pleaded guilty.

☆ Factbox: Eight U.S. Senate races to watch in November's midterm elections
▼ + stars: | 2022-09-27 | by ( Moira Warburton | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +6 min

Pennsylvania Lieutenant Governor and U.S. Senate candidate John Fetterman speaks during a rally in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, U.S., September 24, 2022. The chamber is currently split 50-50 between Republicans and Democrats, who are able to control the agenda thanks to Vice President Kamala Harris' tie-breaking vote. The state is a former Republican stronghold where Democrats have made surprise gains in recent elections - Biden won the state by 0.3% in 2020. Masters' struggles have led Republicans to pull funding and analysts have shifted their predictions for the race in Kelly's favor. National groups have been pouring in money, and the topic of abortion is front and center since the state's Republican legislature banned all abortions after six weeks.

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