What the Obama factor means for Democrats
When presidential approval ratings drop, congressional midterms usually serve as an accurate report card for the president. This year, with President Obama #39;s ratings at 40 percent,...
By: PBS NewsHour
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What the Obama factor means for Democrats - Video
Democrats, Republicans campaigning across state in days before elections
Arizona Democrats and Republicans are amping up their campaigns with little time left before elections. Dr. Jill Biden visited Tucson to show her support, while the GOP has aimed to cover as...
By: Cronkite News
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Democrats, Republicans campaigning across state in days before elections - Video
Toxic Obama: Democrats running from presidents endorsement
Democratic candidates across the country are running from President Barack Obama #39;s embrace this campaign season, fearing any association with the commander in chief will harm their standing...
By: RT America
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Toxic Obama: Democrats running from presidents endorsement - Video
STORY HIGHLIGHTS
Washington (CNN) -- Democrats have a message for voters during the final, frenzied day of campaigning: All is not lost.
Party leaders insist they can still hold onto the Senate -- their last bastion of power on Capitol Hill -- and are spending the remaining hours before the polls open on Tuesday trying to convince their voters not to give up.
"I don't agree with the oddsmakers," Vice President Joe Biden said in an exclusive interview with CNN Chief Political Analyst Gloria Borger. "I predict we're gonna ... keep the Senate."
Everything would have to break for Democrats just right for Biden's optimism to carry the day. New polls in states that Democrats must win if they have any hope of keeping the Senate aren't promising.
In New Hampshire, a WMUR poll released Sunday shows Democratic Sen. Jeanne Shaheen and Republican challenger Scott Brown in a deeply competitive race. The poll puts Shaheen's support at 46% with Brown at 43%. The race narrows further -- with Shaheen at 47% against Brown at 45% -- once undecided voters are asked who they are most likely to support.
The numbers are troubling for Democrats because a WMUR poll just a few days earlier showed Shaheen leading Brown 50% to 42%.
A Quinnipiac University poll in Iowa shows the Senate race there in a dead heat, with Democrat Bruce Braley and Republican Joni Ernst at 47%. That could provide some comfort to Democrats after a Des Moines Register poll had Ernst up by 7 points over the weekend.
Though Republicans appear on track to take the Senate majority for the first time in nearly a decade, polls can be wrong and might miss important shifts in the electorate during the final hours of the election.
But veteran Republican power broker Haley Barbour told CNN's "The Lead with Jake Tapper," that it was looking good for his side.
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Democrats may lose U.S. Senate
With less than 24 hours left until polls open, Democrats and Republicans scrambled Monday to turn out every possible vote for their candidates. Party strategists in key states scrutinized early vote statistics and weather reports ahead of what both sides expect to be a number of nail-bitingly close contests.
Live updates: Election 2014
In the final hours before Election Day, it is clear that both parties believe that the midterm election has become a referendum on those now holding power. On the federal level, that works for Republicans, who need a net gain of six seats to recapture control of the Senate for the first time since the 2006 elections.
On the state level, that works for both Democrats and Republicans, each of whom see the opportunity to knock off unpopular governors in key states.
Polling in recent months has shown Republicans leading consistently in Senate races in five states West Virginia, South Dakota, Montana, Arkansas and Louisiana. More recent surveys have shown the Republican nominee in Alaska, former attorney general Dan Sullivan (R), pulling ahead of Sen. Mark Begich (D), though some surveys show Begich with a lead. In North Carolina, Sen. Kay Hagan (D) holds the narrowest of leads over state House Speaker Thom Tillis (R) in what has become the most expensive Senate race in history.
The Fixs Chris Cillizza breaks down how close the battle for the Senate really is. (The Washington Post)
The Senate seats that are up for grabs this year favored Republican gains: President Obama lost six of those seven states by wide margins, and lost North Carolina by a slimmer margin.
But Democrats are most nervous about polling and early voting data that show Senate contests in two states that Obama won Colorado and Iowa moving against them.
In Colorado, polls have shown Rep. Cory Gardner (R) leading Sen. Mark Udall (D) for months. Republicans hold a distinct advantage in the early voting statistics: Data released by the secretary of states office show that registered Republicans account for 40.5 percent of the 1.3 million people who have cast a ballot, compared with 32.5 percent who are registered Democrats.
Democrats tend to vote later in Colorado, so that eight-point Republican advantage is likely to shrink. On Election Day 2010, Sen. Michael Bennet (D) trailed his Republican opponent by six points and made up enough ground to win by one. This year, Republicans have spent much more on a ground operation aimed at collecting ballots from voters who might not otherwise vote, a decision that appears to have paid off.
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Democrats, Republicans scramble to round up last-minute votes