The Republicans are having a particularly difficult time as they run behind Donald Trump’s disastrous mishandling of the coronavirus pandemic. Senate Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) watches as seat after seat in the Senate becomes endangered. The terrible outbreak has put people’s lives back into a proper perspective, and they will vote with clear eyes this election.
Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) on Wednesday acknowledged that Republicans face a “challenging environment” as they battle to protect their Senate majority, McConnell. told The POLITICO:
‘We have a lot of exposure, a lot of great members up. We had a really good year in ’14, and so yeah, it’s a challenging environment.’
McConnell called. the 2020 race “a challenging environment” given the pandemic:
‘[I]t’s a challenging environment. It has been consistently throughout this cycle. Just look at the numbers. That’s the only conclusion intelligently to read from it.’
The Republicans have to protect 23 of their Senate seats, while the Democrats only have to protect half that number. Of the 12 seats that the Dems will protect, there has been only one truly endangered one, that held by the Alabama Senator Doug Jones (D-AL).
In addition, they feel that they also have a chance to take Senator Gary Peters (D-MI) seat. The president carried Michigan in the 2016 presidential election. According to POLITICO, McConnell would like to have former Kansas Representative and Secretary of State Mike Pompeo (R-KS) run for the open Senate seat:
‘There’s not been a development yet. But he would obviously be my first choice and he has been for months.’
Senator John Thune (R-SD) added:
‘He’s made it pretty clear that he’s intent on staying where he is. But if he’s still open to it, I can assure you the leader’s probably making the best arguments he can. It’s a pretty high-stakes deal. And Kansas could be expensive and messy otherwise.’
Senior political strategist for the U.S. Chamber of Commerce Scott Reed said Kansas was “must-win state.” Physician Barbara Bollier has been a strong candidate for the Senate seat that Senator Pat Roberts abandoned, especially during a pandemic. Reed said:
‘We still view Kansas as a must-win state. A weak Republican candidate in Kansas is risky and a vote for Schumer as Senate leader.’
Former astronaut and husband of Representative Gabby Gifford (D-AZ), Mark Kelly (D) has been running for the Arizona Senate seat. Thus far, he has been outdistancing his opponent, sitting Senator Martha McNally (R-AZ).
In addition, they face tough races against Republican Senators. Susan Collins (R-ME), Joni Ernst (R-IA), and Thom Tillis (R-NC). Ernst’s endangered seat has been something of a surprise as Theresa Greenfield (D) has pushed forward against her.
In the 2020 elections, two Republican senators, Steve Daines (R-MT) and Cory Gardner (R-CO) have been running against two well-liked Democratic governors.
The Republicans have carried a 53-seat lead, thus far. That translated into another must-win scorecard with the Dems taking bach three Senate seats plus the White House. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell has done serious damage to the institution he has supposedly represented.
He brought Senators back from sheltering at home and made them fly back on the Petri dish airline just to vote an unqualified personal friend into a judicial appointment. This in spite of the coronavirus epidemic.
Interestingly enough, all of the state governors had a better approval rating than the man who occasionally sits in the Oval Office. Trump’s mishandling of the COVID-19 pandemic has thrown him into an, especially bad light.
The Mueller Report Adventures: In Bite-Sizes on this Facebook page. These quick, two-minute reads interpret the report in normal English for busy people. Mueller Bite-Sizes uncovers what is essentially a compelling spy mystery. Interestingly enough, Mueller Bite-Sizes can be read in any order.
