Republicans have been worried for weeks that Mitt Romney's slippage in national polls would hurt GOP candidates down ticket. That is exactly what is happening. Republicans have seen a dip between two and six points in races from Virginia to Massachusetts to Missouri to Arizona.
Races that were once safely in hand for the GOP are becoming competitive. This is forcing Republicans to spread their finances thin rather than target big dollars for a few key states to win Senate control. We hear that big Republican donors are starting to panic.
For example, the Arizona Senate race, where Jeff Flake once looked like a sure winner, has been re-rated by political pros from "safe Republican" to "leans Republican." And of course the debacle in Missouri with Todd Akin has shifted that race against Claire McCaskill into a "leans Democrat" call. She is up five or six points. North Dakota, a solidly red state, is now close to a toss-up, and Republican Senate nominee Rick Berg's once sizable lead is down to five points.
In Connecticut, Republican Linda McMahon is doing well but is distancing herself from Mr. Romney's statement about the "47 percent." In Virginia, Republican George Allen has been even or ahead of former governor Tim Kaine, but now the Washington Post has Mr. Kaine opening up a lead of between five and 8 points. In Montana, Denny Rehberg has fallen behind Democratic incumbent Jon Tester, who six months ago was near the top of the endangered species list.
Political Diary: The Senate Slide - WSJ.com
Races that were once safely in hand for the GOP are becoming competitive. This is forcing Republicans to spread their finances thin rather than target big dollars for a few key states to win Senate control. We hear that big Republican donors are starting to panic.
For example, the Arizona Senate race, where Jeff Flake once looked like a sure winner, has been re-rated by political pros from "safe Republican" to "leans Republican." And of course the debacle in Missouri with Todd Akin has shifted that race against Claire McCaskill into a "leans Democrat" call. She is up five or six points. North Dakota, a solidly red state, is now close to a toss-up, and Republican Senate nominee Rick Berg's once sizable lead is down to five points.
In Connecticut, Republican Linda McMahon is doing well but is distancing herself from Mr. Romney's statement about the "47 percent." In Virginia, Republican George Allen has been even or ahead of former governor Tim Kaine, but now the Washington Post has Mr. Kaine opening up a lead of between five and 8 points. In Montana, Denny Rehberg has fallen behind Democratic incumbent Jon Tester, who six months ago was near the top of the endangered species list.
Political Diary: The Senate Slide - WSJ.com