With one week left in the crucial midterm elections, things continue rolling in favor of the Republican Party in its final push for a takeover of the U.S. Senate.
According to a series of new Marist/NBC polls, the GOP continues to lead in Arkansas with Tom Cotton besting Democrat Sen. Mark Pryor by two points. Likewise, Cory Gardner’s lead over Democrat Sen. Mark Udall is a single point.
What’s more critical in the poll results are the states of Iowa and North Carolina. In Iowa, Republican Joni Ernst is besting Bruce Braley by three points, and in North Carolina, Republican Thom Tillis has erased the lead held by Kay Hagan for weeks. That race is now in a statistical dead-heat at 43 points apiece.
What’s more, in Kansas, where the GOP had previously grown very concerned about a spoiler race in which Republican Pat Roberts might be beaten by Independent Greg Orman, polls are showing the two candidates tied as well. This bodes well for Republicans given the advantage the party should enjoy in turn-out among the red state’s voters.
Likewise, important news from South Dakota for the GOP as Republican Mike Rounds has reclaimed a double-digit lead, pushing the state back into RealClearPolitic’s ‘likely GOP’ column.
Perhaps even better news came from a Gallup survey showing an 19-point advantage among GOP voters ahead of next week’s vote. The poll revealed that 44% of Republican voters polled as ‘extremely motivated’ to vote, while only 25% of Democrats felt the same. This bodes well for voter sentiment which should both drive pro-GOP voters to the polls and also pull key votes from whatever remaining undecideds their may be.
