The midterm primary season is nearly complete and the general election is less than two months away, but there’s still plenty of uncertainty in the House and Senate battlegrounds.
Polls show Republican candidates and incumbents around the country underperforming in states and districts that typically vote for Republicans. If President Donald Trump can use a rare midterm convention to energize the party faithful and boost GOP turnout in the closing weeks by hitting the campaign trail, Republicans could hold the Senate and minimize their losses in the House. But if an apathetic base doesn’t show up at normal levels, Republicans could suffer heavy losses on Nov. 3.
For now, the battleground continues to shift incrementally toward Democrats as we wait to see if Republicans will bounce back or if the bottom falls out from under them and an unpopular president in the White House. Inside Elections recently updated its rating of 11 races, 10 in Democrats’ favor.
New Hampshire is a rare bright spot for Republicans. Even though Rep. Chris Pappas easily won the Democratic primary for Senate over a challenger running to his left, the Granite State doesn’t get enough attention for being a swing state. And the Republican nominee, former Sen. John E. Sununu, appears to be enjoying some name confusion with his brother, popular former Gov. Chris Sununu.
