Cook’s Political Report swings four Senate votes to Democrats

A leading nonpartisan political analyst predicts that the Democrats’ path to regaining the Senate majority in the midterm elections is getting wider because of the GOP’s poor political climate, but that holding control of the chamber remains “an order of magnitude.”

Cook’s Political Report on Monday shifted the odds in four key Senate races in favor of Democrats, but added that Republicans “remain a slim favorite to retain the upper chamber.”

Republicans currently control the Senate 53-47 but are battling political storms, as the party in power in the nation’s capital traditionally loses seats in midterms. The GOP is facing a dire political climate fueled by economic worries amid persistent inflation, and rising gas prices coupled with what is proving to be an unpopular war with Iran and President Donald Trump’s approval ratings under water.

“Right now, we see the best outcome is to pick up one to three seats for the Democratic Alliance – just short of the four seats the party needs to regain the majority,” Cook Report Senate and Governors Editor Jessica Taylor said in a statement.

REJECTED BY TRUMP, THESE GOP ELECTS ACT AS IF THEY HAVE HIS APPROVAL

Cook’s report shifted the race for Sen. Thom Tillis of the GOP has retired from the North Carolina battleground and switched from the dance party to the Democrat. Former Gov. Roy Cooper is facing off against former Republican National Committee Chairman Michael Whatley in what could be one of the most expensive and competitive Senate races in the nation this fall.

In the battleground state of Georgia, where Democratic Sen. Jon Ossoff is running for a second six-year term, the Cook Report also shifted the race from a toss-up to a Democratic one. Republicans view Ossoff as the most vulnerable Senate Democrat seeking re-election this year, but he has built a huge war chest while the GOP faces a three-way primary battle for its nomination.

STRATEGY SESSION: TEAM TRUMP COMBINED ON MIDTERM MESSAGE

In red-leaning Ohio, where Sen. Republican nominee Jon Husted will face off in November against longtime Democratic Sen. Sherrod Brown, The Cook Report moved its ranking from lean Republican to high, noted that “even recent GOP polls” showed the race to be close.

Cook’s report also changed Nebraska, a red state where GOP Sen. Pete Ricketts will face a general election challenge from independent candidate Dan Osborn, from staunch Republican to likely Republican.

President Donald Trump is facing low poll numbers after the Iran conflict and rising gas prices. (Tasos Katopodis/Getty Images)

“We agree that these rating changes come as Trump is at a low point in the polls and is still reeling from the war that has yet to be resolved in Iran. So it’s possible that things could go back to his party or that they could get a rally cry to oust his base in November – a summer retirement from the Supreme Court certainly wouldn’t hurt,” commented Taylor.

And he pointed out that “Democrats are still fighting turf wars in Maine, Michigan, Minnesota and Iowa, where Republicans are fighting to turn out flawed or damaged nominees. And Republicans will have a huge financial advantage for the establishment.”

FOX NEWS POLL: A LOOK FOR 2026 NEWS

The chairman of the National Republican Senatorial Committee (NRSC), Sen. Tim Scott, admitted in an interview with Fox News Digital last month that “there is no doubt that the weather has gotten more difficult by the day, it seems at times.”

But Scott added that he remains “highly optimistic” the GOP can not only hold but expand its current majority.

His rival Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee (DSCC), in an email to supporters titled “Democratic Odds of Taking the Senate Rise as Four Ratings Shift in Their Favor,” highlighted the shift in Cook’s report ratings.

CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE FOX NEWS PROGRAM

Earlier this year, DSCC Senator Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand told Fox News Digital that she is “very optimistic that with the level of candidates we have, with the failure to hire and the poor Republicans have, and this very dangerous situation that President Trump is creating, we have all the elements of a green wave.”