More Voters Than Ever Say GOP-Controlled Senate Likely Next Year

PPD’s final election projections are do out on Monday, but a new poll finds more voters than ever believe Republicans will take control of the U.S. Senate after next Tuesday’s elections. In politics, perception matters, and the perception that Democrats will hold on to the Senate is now at its lowest point the entire cycle.

Confidence that Democrats will regain control of the House has continuously precipitated over the last year, a staunch reversal from when Democratic pundits and party line-towers said the government shutdown over ObamaCare would put the GOP’s majority at risk.

According to the latest poll from Rasmussen Reports, nearly two-thirds of voters — 62 percent — now say it is likely Republicans will win a majority in the U.S. Senate, which is up from 44 percent in early January and 54 percent in July. Currently, the GOP leads on the PPD average generic ballot survey by 4 points, a margin that would be much larger if a single poll conducted by Fox News wasn’t weighing GOP support down.

The new and final CBS News poll shows Republican up by 8, while the NBC/Wall St. journal/Annenberg Poll has the GOP up 11 points among likely voters.

As of now, the PPD election projection model favors a Republican controlled Senate, with a net gain from 6 to 9 seats for the Republican party.