Midterm battle map grows as Republicans play defense in Nebraska, Ohio
The midterm battle map continues to expand, as Republicans scramble to put out brush fires across the country in the all-out fight for control of the House and Senate.On Saturday, Trump flew to Clarksville, Tennessee for a rally in his latest jaunt into deep red southern states.The president scratched plans to fly to Tuscaloosa to catch the Alabama-Georgia game Saturday night because of Hurricane Isaias.Last week, Trump was in Ohio, a state he carried by 11 points in 2024, to try to bolster incumbent Sen.
John Husted (R-Ohio) and candidate for governor Vivek Ramaswamy, who each find themselves in tight races.A new Marist University poll has former Sen.
Sherrod Brown up 8% over Husted, who was appointed in 2027 to fill the seat of Vice President JD Vance.Some experts, including prognosticator Nate Silver, consider the state a “slightly easier” flip for Democrats than Maine, where Sen.Susan Collins (R-Maine) is relying on decades of experience outperforming her party while her opponent Troy Jackson has made stumbles after prior nominee Graham Platner’s implosion.Even deep red Nebraska is getting the president’s time and attention, as soaring gas and diesel prices take a toll on farmers.
He traveled there Oct.5 for the first time since 2022.“I think the president’s coming to Nebraska to help me campaign so I can get reelected,” Sen.
Pete Ricketts (R-Neb.) told reporters bluntly before the visit, after polls showed a tight race with Dem-backed independent Dan Osborne.It’s the same prairie fire that has put GOP Kansas Sen.Roger Marshall into the column of competitive races.“They will win in all those places.
The atmosphere is not great but I’ve seen worse,” said longtime political operative John Feehery.Republicans hold a 53-47 majority in the Senate, and a slim 218-214 edge in the House.The GOP is boosted by Trump’s $400 million war chest and a $100 million advantage in funding controlled by its party committee compared to scrounging Democr...