Senate Race: 2020

this was written in October during the Senate race but still reads like an engaging and informative piece

Fortune

What the Senate looks like now

As of November 2, the senate looked slightly redder. Republicans hold 53 seats and Republicans hold 45. With the elections coming up, both parties are scrambling to gain an advantage in battleground states such as Texas, Montana, Arizona, and others.

• Republicans are defending 23 seats while Democrats are defending 12. (more seats up for election means a higher risk of losing seats)

• Republicans are defending seven seats in states with Democratic governors, while Democrats are defending three seats in states with Republican governors.

Runner ups

Here are the 36 states and candidates for a Senate seat:

• Alabama

Doug Jones v. Tommy Tuberville

• Alaska

Dan Sullivan v Al Gross

• Arizona (special)*

Martha McSally v Mark Kelly

• Arkansas

Tom Cotton is unopposed

• Colorado

Cory Gardner v John Hickenlooper

• Delaware

Christopher Coons v Lauren Witzke

• Georgia (special)*

David Perdue v John Ossoff

• Idaho

Jim Risch v Paulette Jordan

• Illinois

Dick Durbin v Mark Curran

• Iowa

Joni Ernst v Theresa Greenfeld

• Kansas

Barbara Bollier v Roger Marshall

• Kentucky

Mitch McConnell v Amy McGrath

• Louisiana

Mary Landrieu running for a second term

• Maine

Susan Collins v Sara Gideon

• Massachusetts

Edward Markey v Kevin O’Connor

• Michigan

Gary Peters v John James

• Minnesota

Tina Smith v Jason Lewis

• Mississippi

Cindy Hyde-Smith v Mike Epsy

• Montana

Steve Daines v Steve Bullock

• Nebraska

Ben Sasse v Chris Janicek

• New Hampshire

Jeanne Shaheen v Corky Messner

• New Jersey

Cory Booker v Rikin Mehta

• New Mexico

Ben Ray Lujan v Mark Ronchetti

• North Carolina

Thom Tillis v Cal Cunningham

• Oklahoma

Jim Inhofe v Abby Broyles

• Oregon

Jeff Merkley v Jo Rae Perkins

• Rhode Island

John Reed v Allen Water

• South Carolina

Lindsey Graham v Jaime Harrison

• South Dakota

Mike Rounds v Dan Ahlers

• Tennessee

Marquita Bradshaw v Bill Hagerty

• Texas

John Cornyn v Mary Hegar

• Virginia

Mark Warner v Daniel Gade

• West Virginia

Shelley Moore Capito v Paula Jean

• Wyoming

Merav Ben-David v Cynthia Lummis

Special Elections

Special elections are meant to fill a spot in the Senate after a governor has passed or retired. This year, Georgia and Arizona will both have special elections. In Georgia’s case, the current senator, Johnny Isakson, stepped down at the end of 2019 and the winner will serve for the remaining 2 years. In Arizona’s case, John McCain passed away August 25, 2018, and the spot was filled with former Senator Jon Kyl. Kyl renounced at the end of the year therefore, Representative Martha McSally was appointed and is now running for the new term.

NBC4 Washington

Poll Predictions

According to Politico.com, these are the states with a very high chance of being Republican:

• Arkansas

• Idaho

• Nebraska

• Louisiana

• Oklahoma

• South Dakota

• Tennessee

• West Virginia

• Wyoming

These are the states that are leaning to the right:

• Alaska

• Alabama

• Georgia

• Kansas

• Kentucky

• Mississippi

• Texas

• South Carolina

These are the ‘toss-up’ states or the unpredictable ones:

• Iowa

• Maine

• Montana

• North Carolina

These are the states leaning to the left:

• Arizona

• Colorado

• Michigan

• Minnesota

• New Mexico

• New Hampshire

These are the states with high chances of being Democrat:

• Delaware

• Illinois

• Massachusetts

• New Jersey

• Oregon

• Rhode Island

• Virginia

The senate has the power to impeach government officials including presidents, approve or reject the president’s nomination, approve or reject treaties made by the president, and investigate the president. The amount of power the Senate has to keep the Executive branch in check makes the ruling party important so it is up to the American public to make their voices heard. Results for this election are expected Tuesday afternoon ranging from 3:00 pm to 7:00 pm. The elected Vice President also plays a role as a tie-breaker if there is a need for one. Even if there is no Senator race for California, it is of utmost importance to vote in these elections so I encourage you to get out there and vote.