An increasing number of political analysts have pegged the outcome of the fight for Senate control on the prospects in Kansas where Republican Sen. Pat Roberts has been seen on the ropes for weeks since the state’s Supreme Court allowed Democrat Chad Taylor to be removed from the ballot.
During that time, the GOP has flown in big guns and pumped in big money in an attempt to prop up Roberts beleaguered campaign. And perhaps it’s finally paying off, says Fox News.
The latest CNN and Fox News polls were released yesterday showing Pat Roberts with a lead over Independent Greg Orman. Though this is still obviously well inside the margin of error, that Pat Roberts is at all competitive with Orman shows a major shift from the trends just last week in which he was down by as many as six points.
Though GOP numbers continue to trend well, that there are still 9-10 states in the RCP toss-up column means that the party has little wiggle room in the push for Senate control.
If Republicans fail to pick up one state among Alaska, Arkansas and Louisiana — as many expect they should — the results in the Kansas race could be the make or break for control.
RealClearPolitics predicts a seven-seat pickup for the GOP based on current polls, but the site refuses to make any prediction for Kansas. If that prediction holds true, Republicans could control the Senate either 51-49 or 53-47.
