With control of a currently 50-50 Senate up for grabs, it looks like the GOP could well come up short even in a favorable political environment because of questionable choices of candidates in key races.
Last week, Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, speaking at a Northern Kentucky Chamber of Commerce luncheon, acknowledged this, saying, “I think there’s probably a greater likelihood the House flips than the Senate.” He continued, “Senate races are just different. They’re statewide. Candidate quality has a lot to do with the outcome.”
This is a lesson Republicans should have learned by now from past fumbled elections. In 2010, the former Republican Gov. Michael Castle was widely expected to win a general election race in Delaware for the Senate seat vacated by Joe Biden. However, Castle was upset by populist favorite Christine O’Donnell, who brought the political world gaffes like, “I’m not a witch.” O’Donnell went on to lose by double-digit percentage points to now-Sen. Chris Coons.
