Republicans likely to seize control of the Senate this fall, new polling shows

Sign up for the daily Inside Washington email for exclusive US coverage and analysis sent to your inbox Get our free Inside Washington email Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Please try again later {{ /verifyErrors }} Democrats risk losing control of the Senate this fall as new polling in a handful of crucial races shows Republicans in strong single-digit leads less than four weeks before Election Day. Democratic Senator Jon Tester, who is fighting for re-election in Montana, is trailing his wealthy Republican rival Tim Sheehy by roughly eight percentage points, according to polling from The New York Times/Siena College on Thursday. In Texas, which Democrats are hoping to turn into a battleground despite no Democratic candidate winning statewide elections in 30 years, Ted Cruz is leading by four points — nearly within a polling margin of error — against his opponent congressman Colin Allred. Democrats are hopeful that Ted Cruz’s winnowing lead over Colin Allred in the race for Texas Senate could give the party a chance to win a statewide federal election for the first time in decades.