WASHINGTON (Nexstar) — One of the biggest issues to be decided in the midterms is what party will control the U.S. Senate, and with only days left, it’s a toss-up.
Some of the country’s closest Senate races include the contests in Georgia and Pennsylvania, but perhaps one of the most surprisingly close races is in Utah.
Jason Perry with the University of Utah’s Hinckley Institute of Politics says Republican Senator Mike Lee only holds a four-point lead over independent Evan McMullin. Traditionally, Utah is solidly Republican, and McMullin promises to be a true independent.
“The Democrats are supporting him. He is their candidate. And that is also the very point that Senator Mike Lee is trying to exploit,” Perry said. “And we have 12% of Utahans who say they don’t yet know who they’re going to vote for.”
Democrats hope the issue of abortion will help their Senate candidates in states like Ohio and North Carolina.
Iowa polls, on the other hand, show it’s a tight race, but Navin Nayak with the Center for American Progress says he takes that polling with a grain of salt.
“The reality is if Democrats are winning those seats, it’s going to be a really good night for Democrats,” he said.
Nayak says the economy is the issue that will likely hurt Democrats and could cost Nevada’s Catherine Cortez Masto her seat.
“The economic challenges around inflation are very real for people in that state,” he said.
Republicans only need one more seat than they currently hold to win control of the Senate.
