Welcome to this week’s Midterm Exam — complete with tidbits and stories from races around the country. The exam this week is really more of a quiz, but we do have some bits of information that should give conservatives optimism.
First, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) now says that he thinks the elections in the Senate will be closer than previously predicted.
Extensive midterm coverage, and more detailed reports, can be found here.
Now, we’ll go over some governor and Senate races out of Nevada, Arizona, Oregon, North Carolina, and Wisconsin.
Poll Shows Republican Laxalt Leading In Nevada
Republican U.S. Senate candidate Adam Laxalt has a narrow 1-point lead over Democratic incumbent Senator Catherine Cortez Masto in Nevada according to a poll released late last week from the progressive think tank Data for Progress.
Liz Cheney To Campaign Against Republicans
Representative Liz Cheney (R-WY), who lost her Republican primary this year, has pledged to campaign against Republican Kari Lake, who is running to replace Arizona Governor Doug Ducey (R). Lake responded by saying that Cheney’s pledge “might be the biggest, best gift I have ever received.”
Education At Center Of Oregon Gubernatorial Election As Test Scores Show Massive Decline
A Fox News poll showed that over 70% of voters are concerned about education and high levels of crime, which are two main points of GOP Oregon gubernatorial candidate Christine Drazan’s campaign.
“We just had our new testing scores released yesterday and what is taught in the classroom needs to get back to reading, writing, and math in a very real way,” Drazan said on Fox News last week. “Parents across our state now know that kids that are in our schools grades three to eight are only proficient in math at about a quarter of the percent of all students and in reading and writing in particular about a third. That is unacceptable.”
She noted that COVID school shutdowns harmed students’ learning.
In third through eighth grade, 39% of Oregon students received proficient reading and writing results, according to test scores from the spring, a drop from a prior low of 51%. Only 28% were proficient in math, down from the prior 40% number.
Virginia Governor Glenn Youngkin (R), who also ran on the topic of education, endorsed Drazan for governor of Oregon.
New Numbers Show GOP Oregon Gubernatorial Candidate Ahead
GOP Candidate Christine Drazan faced off in a televised debate against unaffiliated candidate Betsy Johnson and Democratic candidate Tina Kotek on Tuesday night, discussing education, homelessness, and more.
A new poll found that Drazan is ahead in the race, with around 32% of likely voters in the state saying they would choose her, and 31% saying they would support Kotek. Johnson garnered 18%.
North Carolina Senate Race Still Tight
Former President Donald Trump campaigned for Representative Ted Budd (R-NC) last week, saying Budd is “a conservative, America First all-star in Congress.” Budd has also been firm in his stance against abortion.
FiveThirtyEight’s average for the North Carolina Senate race has Budd leading Democrat Cheri Beasley by 0.3 points. A poll conducted from September 17-20 showed Beasley up by one point.
The two will face off in a debate on October 7.
Nikki Haley Endorses Joe O’Dea For Colorado Senate
Former UN Ambassador Nikki Haley has endorsed GOP candidate Joe O’Dea for the Colorado Senate.
“Joe O’Dea is a no-nonsense small business owner who will fight inflation, defend our borders, protect kids’ education, and will be tough on crime,” Ambassador Haley said. “Coloradans need a strong voice in D.C. who will vote against Biden’s reckless agenda. I’m proud to endorse his run for Senate.”
“I’m honored to have Nikki Haley on Joe’s Crew,” Joe O’Dea said. “This campaign is about fighting for working Americans. Nikki has always been a strong advocate for small businesses, parents, and our country.”
Incumbent Democratic Senator Michael Bennet leads O’Dea by 9.1 points, per FiveThirtyEight’s average.
Wisconsin Republicans Leading
A new poll shows that Democratic incumbent Governor Tony Evers is losing to Republican gubernatorial candidate Tim Michels by a margin of 50% to 47%. On the Senate side, incumbent Senator Ron Johnson (R-WI) leads Democratic opponent Lt. Governor Mandela Barnes by a whopping 51% to 46%.
That’s all for this week. Read more in-depth coverage here.