The Florida race for U.S. Senate is too close to call between Republican Sen. Marco Rubio, the incumbent, and Democratic Rep. Patrick Murphy, but GOP incumbents in two other swing states appear to be in good shape to get reelected, according to Quinnipiac University polls.
In Florida:
- Sen. Marco Rubio: 49 percent;
- Rep. Patrick Murphy, 47 percent.
Rubio's lead could be attributed to his scoring better than most GOP candidates among non-white voters, according to poll assistant director Peter A. Brown.
"His third of the minority vote is largely due to his Cuban heritage. If he wins, that will be a lesson for the GOP going forward," Brown said.
In Ohio:
- Republican Sen. Rob Portman, 54 percent;
- Democrat ex-Gov. Ted Strickland, 41 percent.
Cleveland.com reported that Portman maintains a lead despite his rejection of his party's candidate, Donald Trump.
In Pennsylvania:
- Republican Sen. Pat Toomey, 49 percent;
- Democrat Katie McGinty, 45 percent.
"This is no cakewalk for Sen. Pat Toomey," another assistant director, Tim Malloy, said, and he added that his opponent, McGinty, "has popped from relative obscurity to a real contender."
Republicans need to avoid comparisons to the Republican presidential candidate in order to win reelection, according to Brown.
"With Donald Trump's numbers slipping, and control of the U.S. Senate very much in play, a bevy of GOP Senate candidates find themselves in very tight races," he said.
The GOP is not faring as well in Colorado, where the incumbent there, Democratic Sen. Michael Bennet, has a comfortable lead:
- Bennet: 56 percent;
- Republican Darryl Glenn, 38 percent.
Colorado is becoming more amenable to Democrats, according to assistant poll director Tim Malloy.
"Sen. Michael Bennet is breezing to reelection in Colorado, a state that is morphing from red to blue with each passing election cycle," Malloy said.
The Colorado Springs-Gazette said that in a debate, Glenn defined Bennet as an entrenched politician, while Bennet characterized Glenn as unwilling to work across partisan lines.
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