New Polls Show Republican Edge in Fight for Senate

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 survey of races in Arkansas, Kentucky, and Colorado, and CBS/New York Times/YouGov polls of each competitive race, show that Republicans could take control of the Senate after November. The YouGov 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 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.