Checking In On The Battle For The Senate

The presidency is not the only election this year. In the Senate, just a few seats could tip the majority from red to blue come November. We’ll check in with competitive races across the country.

Jack Beatty, On Point news analyst. (@JackBeattyNPR)

Dawn Baumgartner Vaughan, government and politics reporter at The Raleigh News & Observer. (@dawnbvaughan)

Steve Mistler, politics and government reporter for Maine Public Radio. (@SteveMistler)

Tia Mitchell, Washington correspondent for The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. (@TIAreports)

Caitlyn Kim, D.C.-based public affairs reporter for Colorado Public Radio. (@caitlynkim)

Vox: "Democrats are seeing a much better chance of retaking the Senate in 2020" — "Control of the Senate could be within Democrats’ grasp this November. A Senate map that once looked out of reach has become a lot more competitive in the past few months. With former Vice President Joe Biden likely at the top of the ticket as the Democratic nominee for president and a once-humming economy cratering due to the coronavirus, Republicans acknowledge the political landscape looks much different."

Bangor Daily News: "Sara Gideon leapfrogs Susan Collins in fundraising ahead of 2020 US Senate race" — "Democratic U.S. Senate candidate Sara Gideon raised $7.1 million during the first quarter of 2020, surpassing Republican Sen. Susan Collins after the incumbent had already set a record for the most fundraising during a Maine campaign."

The New York Times: "Hickenlooper Stumbles in Colorado Race, Complicating Democrats’ Senate Push" — "For months, Democrats have figured that Colorado’s U.S. Senate race, a linchpin of their strategy to take back the majority in November, was essentially in the bag, with the Republican incumbent Cory Gardner trailing by double digits behind their candidate John Hickenlooper, the well-liked and well-known former two-term governor and Denver mayor."

Arizona Central: "Why Martha McSally wants the government to pay for your next vacation" — "Dawn O’Callahan would love to have a $4,000 tax credit to go on vacation and lounge around at a beach home in San Diego or jump in the car to visit relatives in Colorado."