FBI throws curveball into race for Senate

TheHill.com ^ | 10/30/2016 | Jordain Carney and Lisa Hagen

[Republican Wildcat]

The battle for the Senate is running down to the wire.

While Democrats hold a narrow edge heading into the final week of the election campaign, races in battleground states remain too close to call.

Democrats need to pick up five seats — or four if they retain the White House — to win back control of the upper chamber. The nonpartisan Cook Political Report predicts that they’ll pick up as many as seven seats — though that was before the FBI announced Friday that it was looking into newly recovered emails from former New York Rep. Anthony Weiner’s account that were related to an earlier investigation of Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton.

The late curveball made huge headlines, and could change momentum in down-ballot races.

Democrats for months have seen GOP-held seats in Wisconsin and Illinois as likely pickups, but the race for Sen. Ron Johnson’s (R-Wis.) seat may be tightening. A Democratic super PAC has gone on the air with new advertisements in the state, which could suggest some concern about the outcome.

In Illinois, the latest news helped Democrats. At a Thursday debate, Sen. Mark Kirk (R-Ill.) made a cutting comment about Democratic Rep. Tammy Duckworth’s Asian heritage. Kirk apologized for the comments a day later.

Here’s a breakdown of the seven other fights that could determine who controls the Senate:

[Republican Wildcat]

The new revelations about Hillary (which would be a correct headline - Hillary scandals, not "the FBI") not only will help Trump but probably also just helped some of these very close Senate races lean back toward GOP holds - especially MO, NC, FL, PA, and NH - and possibly NV as a pickup. IL is an almost certain loss (though, let's be honest, it would be stretch to even call that Senator a moderate - that victory in 2010 was basically just bragging rights that someone with R beside their name took Obama's Senate seat to add insult to injury to a bad election night for Democrats) - IN and WI are shaky, but still polling data showed the gaps closing and this could push them on over to the GOP side - especially IN where Trump was already doing well at the top of the ticket so any negative impact on Democrats from the latest scandal could do double damage to down ticket. It's not inconceivable that this could turn out to be a wash - lose IL, gain NV - if the new revelations about Hillary do have an impact.

[Ray76]

The FBI throws curveball? They put official email on Abedin/Weiner’s computers/phones only to publicize it now?

New evidence was uncovered. The FBI notified Congress.

Democrats have no one to blame but themselves.

[digger48]

IN and WI are shaky,

It sure doesn't help that Todd Young is doing The Turtles bidding and has yet to say if he will vote for Trump in a state that Trump will probably win by >10%.

Most Hoosiers forget that Bayh sure talked tough about Bubba and his "problems" but one of the first things he did after getting elected to the Senate was to vote for acquittal. He was a disaster as our Senator just as he was a disaster as our Governor.

[Lurkinanloomin]

The nonpartisan Cook Political Report
***************************

That’s just BS. there are no nonpartisans in media.
They are Democrat operatives.

[b4me]

oy!

I was seriously thinking of getting rid of my RINO.

But comments on other threads and now reading this I guess I have to feed him another 6 yrs.

[Lady Heron]

Yes, feed him. They will probably find something in all this mess that gets him into trouble and he will all the sudden retire.