Sabato: GOP to Gain 55 House Seats, 8 Senate

Ace political analyst Larry Sabato, director of the University of Virginia’s Center for Politics, predicts heavy gains for Republican’s in Tuesday’s congressional elections. The GOP will pick up 55 seats in the House and eight in the Senate, he writes on the center’s web site.

Republicans need 39 seats in the House to regain control there, and 10 seats in the Senate.

Even before Labor Day, Sabato forecast a GOP gain of 47 seats in the House. “We based this both on a district-by-district analysis and also a careful review of the underlying election variables, from the generic ballot to presidential job approval to likely statewide coattail,” Sabato writes. “Even at this late date, we see no need to do anything but tweak the total R gains, based on more complete information.”

As for the Senate, “Republicans will probably pick up most of the following: AR, CO, IL, IN, NV, ND, PA, and WI. The closest appear to be CO, IL, NV, and PA.”