By — Liz Landers Liz Landers By — Kayan Taraporevala Kayan Taraporevala Leave your feedback Share Copy URL https://www.pbs.org/newshour/show/new-polls-suggest-surprising-democratic-gains-in-red-state-senate-races Email Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Pinterest Tumblr Share on Facebook Share on Twitter Transcript Audio President Trump headed to Ohio to rally voters in a race that could determine control of the Senate. That stop comes after dueling rallies in another key state offered a snapshot of the divisions shaping the midterm elections. Liz Landers reports. Read the Full Transcript Notice: Transcripts are machine and human generated and lightly edited for accuracy. They may contain errors. Amna Nawaz: President Donald Trump heads to Ohio tonight to rally voters in a race that could determine control of the Senate. Geoff Bennett: And that stop follows dueling rallies in another key battleground state, Texas, that highlighted sharp divisions driving this year's midterms.Our Liz Landers reports. Liz Landers: Last night, a political showdown in a usually deep red state, Trump and Democratic Senate candidate James Talarico holding rallies just miles apart in Lubbock. President Donald Trump: And the other guy does not deserve it. He doesn't represent your values. State Rep. James Talarico: On November 3, we are going to do something extraordinary. We are going to do something historic. Liz Landers: The president mocking the Democrat with insults and a nickname. President Donald Trump: Seven days from now, the people of Texas are going to defeat Democrat communist James Talafreako. Liz Landers: Talarico using the timing of the dueling rallies and that nickname to fire up the crowd. State Rep. James Talarico: I know that we're not the only show in town tonight, and I appreciate all 4,000 of you that showed up here this evening.(CHEERING) State Rep. James Talarico: That's a lot of Talafreakos in one room. So...(CHEERING) Ken Paxton: Let's go win Texas. Liz Landers: Talarico's opponent, State Attorney General Ken Paxton, also taking swings. Ken Paxton: So let me tell you about the other guy. I think you've heard of him, James Talarico, the most radical Democrat to ever run in Texas history.(BOOING) Liz Landers: All for a key seat in a state that is not elected a Democrat to the U.S. Senate in more than three decades. Democrats need a net gain of four seats to retake the majority in the U.S. Senate.Another state that captures the fault lines shaping this year's midterms, Pennsylvania. Just two years ago, the state was central to Trump's return to the White House, but now anxieties over the economy and corruption have crumbled support for Trump and the Republican base. Linda Markle, Pennsylvania Voter: The Republican Congress does not have a spine. They've abdicated their powers to one person, one person only. And that's not democracy. Liz Landers: But for others, the president and his party still have their support. John Tim Betts, Pennsylvania Voter: Probably President Trump. I mean, I'm sorry people don't like him, but I think he's doing more for us than anybody else has. Liz Landers: But how big is the battleground for Senate control? A new New York Times/Siena University poll shows Democrats may be making surprising gains, in reliably red South Carolina, Republican Darline Graham, who was appointed to fill her late brother Lindsey Graham's seat, tied with Democrat Annie Andrews.Darline Graham in South Carolina today: Sen. Darline Graham (R-SC): Nobody outworks South Carolinians. That's the formula, and it's working, and we're going to keep it going. Liz Landers: In North Carolina, where a Democrat hasn't been elected to the Senate in nearly 20 years, former Democratic Governor Roy Cooper leads Republican Michael Whatley by double digits, centering his campaign on affordability. Fmr. Gov. Roy Cooper: And these tariffs are chaotic. They're not -- they're essentially a tax, folks. We need to overturn them. I will work to do that when I get to the United States Senate. Liz Landers: Also in North Carolina today, Vice President J.D. Vance making the case for Republicans. J.D. Vance: North Carolina, you send a message to Washington that we are sick of being ignored, we are sick of being left behind, and we are going to put America first for a change.(CHEERING) Liz Landers: Both parties have less than one week left to make their closing arguments to voters.For the "PBS News Hour," I'm Liz Landers. Listen to this Segment By — Liz Landers Liz Landers Liz Landers is a correspondent for PBS News Hour, where she covers the White House and the Trump administration. Prior to joining the News Hour, she served as the national security correspondent for Scripps News, and also reported on disinformation for the network. By — Kayan Taraporevala Kayan Taraporevala Kayan Taraporevala is an Associate Producer for PBS News Hour.
New polls suggest surprising Democratic gains in red-state Senate races
In short
To reclaim the Senate majority, Democrats require a net gain of four seats as key battlegrounds show competitive numbers. Former Democratic Governor Roy Cooper holds a double-digit lead over Republican Michael Whatley in North Carolina, while appointed Republican Senator Darline Graham is tied with Annie Andrews in South Carolina. With less than a week before Election Day, national leaders are staging high-profile rallies in states like Ohio, Texas, and North Carolina. In response to these tight margins, Cooper is centering his campaign messaging around economic affordability and opposition to tariffs.
Key points
- Democrats need to secure a net gain of four seats to successfully flip control of the Sen…: Democrats need to secure a net gain of four seats to successfully flip control of the Senate.
- Economic affordability and opposition to tariffs have emerged as central campaign argumen…: Economic affordability and opposition to tariffs have emerged as central campaign arguments for Democrats in critical southern races.
- Texas remains a formidable hurdle for the party, which has failed to win a Senate seat th…: Texas remains a formidable hurdle for the party, which has failed to win a Senate seat there in over thirty years.