ELECTIONS

GOP May Not Take Back Senate

Despite 21 Democrats being up for reelection.

The GOP will face a much harder fight to take back the Senate this year than was originally expected. Democrats currently have a 53-47 majority, but of the 33 Senate sears up for reelection, 21 are Democrats and 2 are independents who caucus with the Democratic Party. But some states the GOP previously looked poised to win have suddenly become more competitive. In Maine, Sen. Olympia Snowe has announced that she is retiring, and that state leans Democratic. In North Dakota, a strong Democratic challenge has made that state less of a sure thing. One expert said, “Democrats have gotten some good news. But it doesn’t take their risk of losing their majority off the table.”