OPINION: This article may contain commentary which reflects the author's opinion.
Another prominent Democrat is in serious trouble of losing their re-election as a new poll reveals that Washington Democrat Sen. Patty Murray — who has held the seat since 1993 — is losing ground to Republican challenger Tiffany Smiley.
“All year long, Republicans trying to spin a giant national landslide have been talking up a potential upset of five-term incumbent Senator Patty Murray. This is despite the fact that Murray won 54 percent in the August 2 nonpartisan top-two primary, usually a sure sign of a general election victory. Soon after that result, the GOP began spending money attacking Murray, and Republican nominee Tiffany Smiley (best known as an advocate for severely wounded veterans) started putting up impressive fundraising numbers of her own. A Trafalgar Group survey in late September showing Murray below 50 percent and only leading Smiley by two points raised eyebrows, but was mostly dismissed as a typically pro-GOP outlier,” MSN reported.
“Now the race is generally considered competitive, though only Trafalgar (which just published a new poll showing Murray up 49-48) has it even. The most recent competing data is from the poorly credentialed Oregon robo-pollster Triton, and showed Murray up by just over five points and just over 50 percent. With Republicans threatening to win multiple Democratic-held House districts in Washington and Oregon, along with Oregon’s gubernatorial race, the midterms are shaping up as a possible northwestern blue-state nightmare for Democrats. The Republican confidence that this is a real race seems to be more of a GOP strategic feint than something Democrat should panic over. Either way, we won’t know a lot on Election Night, since Washington is an all-mail-ballot state where ballots postmarked by Election Day will count no matter when they are received,” the outlet added.
A Trafalgar poll last month found 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.”
SETTING THE RECORD STRAIGHT:
Patty Murray accuses Tiffany Smiley of wanting to cut Social Security & Medicare. That's FALSE.
Tiffany will NOT touch benefits of current or soon-to-be retirees. Meanwhile, Murray voted AGAINST adding prescription benefits to Medicare. pic.twitter.com/Ir6BHSKceK
— Tiffany Smiley (@SmileyForWA) October 31, 2022
Republicans who hope to retake control of Congress during the midterms got some encouraging news on Thursday just weeks away from the crucial midterms.
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.
