‘Candidate quality’: Minority Leader McConnell concerned about midterms

Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., is not hopeful about Republicans’ chances of regaining control of the Senate. McConnell expressed concern Thursday about the candidates on the ballot in November’s midterms.

“I think there’s probably a greater likelihood the House flips than the Senate,” McConnell said. “Senate races are just different — they’re statewide. Candidate quality has a lot to do with the outcome. Right now, we have a 50-50 Senate, 50-50 country.”

There are 34 Senate seats up for grabs, and polls show GOP candidates trailing in several key matchups. In fact, the Cook Political Report recently moved the chances of Senate control from a GOP advantage to toss-up. On top of that, the National Republican Senatorial Committee recently canceled more than $10 million in ad buys in Pennsylvania, Arizona, and Wisconsin.

The Cleveland Plain Dealer newspaper is reporting that a political action committee with ties to McConnell is gearing up for a $28 million media buy. The funds will go toward helping elect Republican J.D. Vance to the Senate from Ohio. The Trump-endorsed candidate is facing off with Rep. Tim Ryan, D, who is slightly leading in the polls.

A couple of other senate races Straight Arrow News is following include the race between incumbent Sen. Raphael Warnock, D, and Trump-backed GOP nominee and onetime Georgia Bulldog football star Herschel Walker in Georgia, and Democratic Lt. Gov. John Fetterman and Trump-endorsed Republican nominee Dr. Mehmet Oz in Pennsylvania. The Cook Political Report this week moved this race from “toss-up” to “lean Democrat.”