ARKANSAS SENATE – AT 10:16 A.M. ET:  Every Senate race is critical.  Republicans have a chance to gain control of the U.S. Senate, but need six pickups to do so, assuming they hold all current Republican seats.  With Kansas incredibly slipping into the loss column as incumbent Republican Pat Roberts falls behind an independent, a net gain of seven may be required.  And in Georgia, Republicans are not assured of holding on to the seat being vacated by Saxby Chambliss. 

There appears to be some tentative good news in Arkansas.  From Rasmussen:

Republican challenger Tom Cotton has pulled to his largest lead yet over Democratic incumbent Mark Pryor in Arkansas’ race for U.S. Senate.

Cotton now picks up 47% of the vote to Pryor’s 40% in the latest Rasmussen Reports statewide telephone survey of Likely Arkansas Voters. Five percent (5%) like some other candidate in the race, while eight percent (8%) are undecided.

COMMENT:  Cotton has gained through ads suggesting that Pryor is a career politician and that his family has been on the public payroll too long. 

We are also seeing analyses pointing to the possibility that we won't know who controls the new Senate for weeks after the election.   Several states require a winner to have 50% of the vote or more.  If that doesn't happen on election day – and it may not when more than two candidates are running – a runoff must be held.  Look for that possibility in Georgia and in Louisiana.

September 27,  2014