Not even Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) can conclusively count on securing re-election this November. In a new poll from RMG Research, McConnell’s seemingly likely Democratic general election challenger Amy McGrath leads by one percent. McGrath, who is a veteran of the Marines and one of the most high-profile Democrats hoping to unseat a prominent Republican Senator, secured 41 percent of the support overall in the new poll. McConnell, meanwhile, had just 40 percent of the support. Although that’s a close and easily shifted lead for McGrath, the numbers make clear that she’s very much in the running.
Kentucky Senate GE:
Amy McGrath (D) 41% (+1)
Mitch McConnell (R-inc) 40%RMG Research/@USTermLimits 5/21-24https://t.co/9qOlpu8WZq #KYsen
— Political Polls (@Politics_Polls) June 9, 2020
And there’s a noteworthy caveat. The poll was conducted on behalf of an organization called U.S. Term Limits, which advocates for term limits for members of Congress. After poll respondents were informed about McGrath’s support of term limits, her overall leading margin rose to 15 percent. And the numbers reflect growing positive sentiment for McGrath among a diverse array of groups. The organization explains that when “voters are informed that McGrath supports term limits and McConnell opposes it, McGrath’s support among Republicans nearly doubles from 8% to 17%.” Nabbing 17 percent of the support from the incumbent’s own political party is no small feat, especially in the current Trumpian age of entrenched ideology among many Republicans.
Here's a little thing you can do today: go to this new website – https://t.co/aCnQPhHMDo – and make a donation to remove Mitch McConnell from power.
Elections aren't the only thing. But no civil rights bill will pass if we don't flip control of the Senate.
Right, @brianschatz?
— Chris Murphy (@ChrisMurphyCT) June 8, 2020
McConnell is far from the only Republican Senator who’s up for re-election this year, and he’s not among the most vulnerable. The Cook Political Report currently rates four GOP-held Senate seats as toss-ups heading into November. That list includes seats in Arizona, Colorado, Maine, and North Carolina. In every one of those states, the Democratic candidates are launching formidable challenges, as measured by metrics like fundraising totals and poll numbers.
New CNN poll:
– Trump approval rating down 7% to 38%, 57% disapprove.
– Trump stands 14 points behind Biden, with 41% who say they back the President, 55% back Biden. https://t.co/7sQbXxu4jG
— Jim Sciutto (@jimsciutto) June 8, 2020
The dismal showings for Republican incumbents in the Senate mirror President Donald Trump’s own predicament. In a new CNN poll that released on Monday, presumptive Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden led Trump by a staggering 14 percent on the national level. That’s not great for Republicans!
Biden leads by a wide 14 point margin, 55 to 41 percent, among registered voters in the new CNN/SSRS poll https://t.co/XXYe4HksGW
— Nate Cohn (@Nate_Cohn) June 8, 2020
