--- description: Troubling sign for Democrats weeks before Election Day title: 2014 Midterm Election: Senate Advantage for Republicans, Polls Find image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltc166f15a8c9f670f/6986a254e8524b0155604955/mitch-mcconnell-gop.jpg?branch=production&width=3840&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  * [Politics](/section/politics/) ## Politics Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close * [2014 Election](/tag/2014-election/) ## 2014 Election Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close # New Polls Show Republican Edge in Fight for Senate by [Maya Rhodan](/author/maya-rhodan/) ## Maya Rhodan Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close Sep 8, 2014 12:27 PM CUT  Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., and GOP lawmakers, from left, Sen. John Barrasso, R-Wyo., Sen. John Thune, R-S.D., and Senate Minority Whip John Cornyn, R-Texas, face reporters after a Republican caucus meeting, at the Capitol in Washington on June 10, 2014. Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., and GOP lawmakers, from left, Sen. John Barrasso, R-Wyo., Sen. John Thune, R-S.D., and Senate Minority Whip John Cornyn, R-Texas, face reporters after a Republican caucus meeting, at the Capitol in Washington on June 10, 2014.J. Scott Applewhite—AP by [Maya Rhodan](/author/maya-rhodan/) ## Maya Rhodan Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close Sep 8, 2014 12:27 PM CUT Republicans have an advantage over Democrats in key Senate races across the country, according to new polling data, giving the GOP the edge to regain control of the upper chamber with just weeks left until the midterm elections. Two separate polls—an [NBC/Marist](http://www.nbcnews.com/politics/first-read/nbc-poll-gop-senate-candidates-open-leads-key-states-n196956 "undefined") survey of races in Arkansas, Kentucky, and Colorado, and [CBS/New York Times/YouGov](http://today.yougov.com/news/2014/09/07/senate-races-battleground-tracker/ "undefined") polls of each competitive race, show that Republicans could take control of the Senate after November. The [YouGov](http://today.yougov.com/news/2014/09/07/senate-races-battleground-tracker/ "undefined") polls find Republicans with slight leads in at least eight states currently held by Democrats, and they only need six to take back the Senate. The seats Republicans are most likely to pick up are those President Barack Obama lost in 2012. The [NBC/Marist ](http://www.nbcnews.com/politics/first-read/nbc-poll-gop-senate-candidates-open-leads-key-states-n196956 "undefined")poll has Republicans in Kentucky and Arkansas leading by thin margins in highly-contested races. The NBC poll has Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell overtaking Democratic challenger Alison Lundergan Grimes 47% to 39%. In Arkansas, incumbent Democratic Sen. Mark Pryor trails Republican Rep. Tom Cotton by five points, with Cotton gaining support of 45% of likely voters. ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/3303098/2014-midterm-elections-senate-races-polls/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/3303098/2014-midterm-elections-senate-races-polls/"},"headline":"New Polls Show Republican Edge in Fight for Senate","datePublished":"2014-09-08T12:27:30.000Z","dateModified":"2026-02-21T10:03:13.822Z","description":"Troubling sign for Democrats weeks before Election Day","url":"https://time.com/3303098/2014-midterm-elections-senate-races-polls/","keywords":["2014 Election","Senate"],"thumbnailUrl":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltc166f15a8c9f670f/6986a254e8524b0155604955/mitch-mcconnell-gop.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Maya Rhodan","jobTitle":null,"url":"https://time.com/author/maya-rhodan/"}],"articleSection":"Politics","image":[{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltc166f15a8c9f670f/6986a254e8524b0155604955/mitch-mcconnell-gop.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","width":1200,"height":675,"headline":"Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., and GOP lawmakers, from left, Sen. 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