Major news outlets including the Washington Post, New York Times, RealClearPolitics and Huffington Post all predict a Republican take-over of the Senate, with the lowest probability predicted at 70%.
But those predictions cast a shadow on the very real possibility that control of the Senate — or at least the margin of control — may not be known for months.
Most analysts have been predicting for weeks that the Louisiana Senate race between Republican Bill Cassidy and incumbent Democrat Mary Landrieu will go to a run-off given that neither has come close to pulling 50% in the polls amid the so-called ‘jungle general’ which includes a gaggle of other candidates.
Should that happen, the run-off will be scheduled for December 6th in which Cassidy and Landrieu will go head-to-head and in which polls indicate fairly convincingly of a Cassidy victory.
What’s more, a similar race in Georgia pits Democrat Michelle Nunn against Republican David Purdue for the seat being vacated by Sen. Saxby Chambliss. Due to third-party candidates in the race, it is possible neither of the two will pull 50% today, pushing to race to a January 6th run-off.
If voting today does not favor Republicans as heavily as most expect, it is possible that control over the Senate could hang in the balance over these two run-offs. That eventuality could see one of the most hotly contested midterms in history.
