Democratic candidates are leading in five Republican-held US Senate races and are virtually tied in a sixth, according to New York Times/Siena University polls released on Sunday, suggesting competitive contests in several states traditionally considered Republican strongholds.
The surveys, conducted across seven battleground states between October 23 and November 1, showed Democratic candidates ahead in Texas, Kansas, Maine, Ohio and Alaska, while the Iowa contest remained effectively tied.
In Michigan, the only Democratic-held Senate seat included in the polling, Democrat Abdul El-Sayed held an 11-percentage-point lead over Republican Mike Rogers.
Democrats must defend their existing seats and gain at least four Republican-held seats to secure a Senate majority, according to The New York Times.
Among the most striking findings was the race in Texas, where Democratic state legislator James Talarico led Republican Attorney General Ken Paxton by 50% to 43%. Texas has not elected a Democratic US senator since 1988.
In Kansas, which has not elected a Democratic senator since 1932, Democrat Adam Hamilton led incumbent Republican Senator Roger Marshall by 49% to 44%.
Former Democratic Senator Sherrod Brown also held a 49% to 44% advantage over Republican Senator Jon Husted in Ohio.
In Maine, former Democratic state senator Troy Jackson led Republican Senator Susan Collins by 51% to 45%, while Democrat Mary Peltola held a narrower 48% to 46% lead over Republican Senator Dan Sullivan in Alaska.
The Iowa contest remained too close to call in polling terms, with Democrat Josh Turek and Republican Ashley Hinson effectively tied.
The surveys also indicated widespread dissatisfaction with President Donald Trump’s handling of the economy. Only 38% of likely voters across the seven states approved of his job performance.
Democrats held a nine-point advantage over Republicans on the question of which party could better manage the cost of living, leading on the issue in every state surveyed.
Democratic candidates also led among independent voters across all seven states, with the findings indicating stronger support from younger and Latino voters.
However, voters who had made their electoral decisions during the preceding month favoured Republicans by nine percentage points.
Compared with September, Democratic candidates had improved their polling positions in six states, losing ground only in Alaska.
The surveys interviewed between 610 and 1,215 voters in each state, with margins of sampling error among likely voters ranging from 3.3 percentage points in Texas to 4.8 points in Alaska.
While the results indicate several closely contested races, polling leads do not guarantee electoral victories, particularly in states where the margins remain narrow.