Surveys: GOP Majorities Firming Up

WASHINGTON (AllPolitics, Nov. 3) -- Democratic hopes for regaining control of Congress may be dwindling, according to two wire service surveys and this morning's Washington Post. The state-by-state analyses suggest that President Bill Clinton's coattails are shortening, particularly in the South and the Pacific Northwest.

Surveys by The Associated Press and Reuters news service find that a last-minute ad blitz by Republicans is having an effect in the election season's final hours. Millions of dollars of GOP ads seem to be undoing some of the damage that months of labor-backed advertising had inflicted upon GOP congressional candidates.

The Post's analysis indicates that the Senate will likely become more Republican, not less, and that while Democrats look like they will gain in the House, an unlikely number of races will have to break their way for them to take control.

However, as AllPolitics analyst Stuart Rothenberg told The New York Times, "Anybody who is confident about the outcome of the Senate elections should be ignored."

The Republican-to-Democrat balance is currently 53-47 in the Senate and 236-198 in the House, with one House independent.

Democrats need to pick up three seats in the Senate to take control, assuming Vice President Al Gore is re-elected to break ties for the Democrats. They need to gain 19 seats in the House to take control.