Democrats believe 2018 is their year.
The media is portraying November as when the blue wave will wash Republicans out of power.
But Chuck Schumer broke out into a panic when these numbers came in.
The 2018 Landscape Takes Shape
Democrats must flip two Republican-held seats to win the Senate.
They could then install Chuck Schumer as Majority Leader and grind the Trump agenda to a halt.
Liberals could completely block Trump’s legislative priorities and block him from getting any conservative judges confirmed.
Democrats could also take up impeachment.
The stakes couldn’t be higher.
Chuck Schumer Gets the Bad News
But the Democrats are staring bad news in the face.
Ten Democrat Senators are running for re-election in red states that Donald Trump carried in 2016.
If Republicans win just one of these races, they can close off any path to a Democrat Senate majority.
One Democrat stands as the most vulnerable incumbent, Florida’s Bill Nelson.
Sitting two-term Republican Governor Rick Scott is challenging Nelson.
Scott is worth hundreds of millions of dollars and has universal name recognition.
And while Scott infuriated conservatives by embracing massive gun control, Republicans are sticking with him in this election.
The available public polling shows Scott holds a slim lead over Nelson.
Beyond the Numbers – Nelson’s Troubles Get Magnified
Nelson is facing even greater obstacles than Scott’s ability to self-fund or the Republican’s lead in the polls.
A Politico reports shows Democrats are lagging behind Republicans in mail-in ballots and voter registration.
And some experts are beginning to sound the alarm.
Politico exclusively reports:
“If a blue wave is forming, it certainly hasn’t crested. Maybe there’s a red tide coming in and affecting the blue wave?” said Daniel A. Smith, a University of Florida political science professor who studies the state’s voter rolls and trends.
Nervous Democrats are worried Florida could cost the Democrats a chance at a Senate majority.
Politico exclusively reports:
Some Democrats are worried, but they won’t say so publicly. They haven’t occupied the governor’s mansion in 20 years and the only statewide elected Democrat, Sen. Bill Nelson, is slightly trailing Gov. Rick Scott in recent polls as the Republican has unloaded on him in a broad TV ad campaign.
“None of us will admit this publicly, but we’re worried. Where’s the blue wave?” a Democratic consultant tied to a major Florida campaign said about Florida‘s 2018 election. “The party has no money. The Republicans do. … But, thankfully, Republicans have Trump and he’s a disaster when the elections are close. And this election will be close.”
Florida is the quintessential swing state.
In a wave election, Democrats would normally expect their candidates to emerge victorious.
But Nelson is a weak incumbent facing a strong challenger in a state where the GOP holds a structural advantage.
We will keep you up to date on breaking news in the midterms and the battle for Congress.
