Thune Predicts Republicans Will Beat the Polls and Hold the Senate, Even as GOP Money Moves Out of Georgia
The majority leader says polls undercount Republican voters and that no race is being written off. Fox reports the Senate Leadership Fund has moved money from Georgia to Kansas and pulled back in North Carolina.
Senate Majority Leader John Thune says Republicans will do better on Nov. 3 than the polls suggest.
Thune spoke with Fox News Digital in Fremont, Neb., where he was campaigning for Sen. Pete Ricketts. Republicans hold a 53-to-47 majority. He said many races are "jump balls" within the margin of error, and that polling has tended to "under-reflect the Republican vote." His line: "So we're not giving up on any of them."
The money. Fox reports that the Senate Leadership Fund, a PAC aligned with Thune, recently moved money out of Georgia and into Kansas, where Sen. Roger Marshall is in a closer race than expected. The fund had first pledged $44 million to help Rep. Mike Collins challenge Sen. Jon Ossoff. Fox says Ossoff has raised heavily and led in polling. The fund also pulled back nearly all of its spending in North Carolina, where Michael Whatley is running against former Gov. Roy Cooper for the seat Sen. Thom Tillis is leaving.
Trump and North Carolina. Fox says Trump held a rally for Whatley on Tuesday. Earlier this month he said of Whatley, "I am worried about him. I hope he wins."
The map. Cook Political Report lists six toss-up races that Republicans are defending, according to Fox. Fox says Mississippi and South Carolina, once seen as safe, have moved somewhat toward Democrats.
The plan. Thune said the contest comes down to turnout. Candidates must bring out "low propensity, particularly Trump, voters" and also win the middle of the electorate. He said resources are going to that effort.
Caveats. This is a party leader's forecast in a campaign interview, and it is a prediction, not data. Fox does not say how much money moved, beyond the original $44 million Georgia pledge.