OPINION: This article may contain commentary which reflects the author's opinion.
Another prominent Democrat is in serious trouble of losing their re-election.
A new Trafalgar Group poll reveals that Washington Democrat Sen. Patty Murray — who has held the seat since 1993 — is losing ground to Republican challenger Tiffany Smiley.
The statewide survey showed that 48.7% of voters would cast a ballot for Murray if the election was held today, while 46.5% would vote for Smiley. The poll had a margin of error of 2.9%, making the race a statistical tie.
A poll conducted by the same group between Aug. 30 and Sept. 1 showed Murray leading Smiley 49.2% to 46.3%, a slightly wider gap, though still within the survey’s 2.9% error margin.
The two polls show the race tightening just before November’s midterms, with support for Murray decreasing and Smiley going up.
The Senate is currently split 50-50, with Vice President Kamala Harris’ power to cast tie-breaking votes giving Democrats the edge. This race could determine which party controls the upper chamber.
“I think Patty Murray’s desperate, and that shows I’m here to serve. Patty Murray wants to scare you,” Smiley said on the John Curley and Shari Elliker Show. “Not on [my] watch will do-nothing, career politician Patty Murray phone it in for another six years. We are heading into recession, and she’s raising taxes. She’s now paying for student loan forgiveness. She failed to address a Fentanyl crisis that’s killing our kids. I think it looks like desperation. That’s why we will win this race.”
“I was 11 years old when [Murray] was first elected in Washington State, and we’ve just seen it decline,” said Smiley. “Just look at [her] voting record. Our pensions are decreasing. We’re losing jobs. We have a homeless crisis, humanitarian crisis, [and] a crime crisis.”
Republicans who hope to retake control of Congress during the midterms got some encouraging news on Thursday just weeks away from the crucial midterms.
OPINION: Washington's surprising Senate race: Dem Patty Murray seems vulnerable against GOP newcomer Tiffany Smiley https://t.co/miEARgpgvO
— Fox News (@FoxNews) October 11, 2022
According to new polling from Data for Progress, three swing-state Democrats are in danger of losing their seats.
In Arizona, Trump-backed GOP challenger Blake Masters is gaining on incumbent Democratic Sen. Mark Kelly, the group found. Kelly has a narrow 1-point lead over his rival, 48-47 percent, The Daily Caller reported, citing the survey.
Meanwhile, in Georgia, the race is a dead heat, with incumbent Democratic Sen. Raphael Warnock and GOP challenger and former NFL great Hershel Walker, who was also endorsed by former President Trump, tied at 46 percent.
“In Nevada, Republican Adam Laxalt leads opponent Democratic Sen. Catherine Cortez Masto, with 47% of respondents saying they would vote for Laxalt compared to 46% for Cortez Masto, according to the poll,” The Daily Caller noted.
Meanwhile, the races for governor in two of the states show Republicans with bigger advantages, according to Data for Progress polling.
In Arizona, Trump-backed Kari Lake is leading Democratic Secretary of State Katie Hobbs 51-47 percent, while in Georgia, incumbent Republican Gov. Brian Kemp has a 7-point lead over Democratic rival Stacey Abrams, 51-44 percent.
According to a new survey from the Trafalgar Group, which correctly predicted that she would capture the GOP nomination, Lake leads Democratic challenger and current Arizona Secretary of State Katie Hobbs by nearly five points.
The survey polled 1,080 likely 2022 General Election voters from September 14-17 and has a 2.9 percent margin of error, meaning that Lake’s lead is enough to overcome it. Still, there 4.4 percent of respondents said they had yet to make up their minds.
Trafalgar also found Democratic incumbent Sen. Mark Kelly with a slight lead over Trump-backed GOP challenger Blake Masters, 46.6 – 45.4 percent, which is well within the margin of error.
In that race, 5.3 percent are undecided, and 2.7 percent said they are voting for Libertarian Marc Victor.
The polling firm explained why their surveys are generally very accurate.
“We utilize short questionnaires of nine questions or less based on our perceptions about attenuated attention spans and the need to ‘accommodate modern busy lifestyles.’ Our polls last one to three minutes and are designed to quickly get opinions from those who would not typically participate in political polls,” the firm notes.
