The GOP's chances of holding the Senate just got a big push: Sens. Mark Kirk of Illinois and Ron Johnson of Wisconsin moved into striking distance of the long-favored Democratic nominees, according to recent polls.
A poll from Emerson College showed the race in Illinois was close — with Democratic Rep. Tammy Duckworth leads Kirk by only 41 percent to 39 percent among likely voters.
In Wisconsin, a Marquette University poll showed former Democratic Sen. Russ Feingold leading Johnson (who unseated him in 2010) by a margin of 47 percent to 41 percent.
As a result of the two recent surveys, the respected journal “Real Clear Politics” recently moved the Illinois race from “Leans Democratic” to “Toss Up.”
In Illinois, a Loras College poll was less optimistic for Republicans: Duckworth leads Kirk by a margin of 41 percent to 36 percent statewide.
The re-election of one or both of the GOP senators would reduce the chances of Democrats picking up the four seats they need to take control of the Senate this year if they win the presidency and vice presidency (or five seats, if they don’t win the top offices).
For months, Senate seats held by Republicans in Illinois and Wisconsin have been considered the most likely to fall to Democrats in November.
Many speculate that Donald Trump's near-tie status with Hillary Clinton in most national polls was the reason for the bump in Republicans' favor. In the presidential race, the same survey showed Clinton beating Trump by a tight margin of 41 percent to 38 percent, with Libertarian Gary Johnson 11 percent and Green Party candidate Jill Stein 2 percent.
Kirk, considered more of a centrist than conservative, has made no secret of his intention to write in the name of another candidate rather than vote for Donald Trump for president — and some think this is key to his standing.
“I am happy that Mark is moving up in the polls and has cut his opponent’s advantage in the polls,” former Rep. Michael P. Flanagan in Illinois told me, “but I also have to say that if he embraced Trump and brought home the Republicans who are upset with him abandoning the top of the ticket, he’s probably be ahead right now.”
For months, it has been assumed by many political analysts that Democrats would make a net gain of at least two in the Senate by taking out Kirk and Johnson. With the latest poll results, they are not as certain as they once were.
“The prospect of Democrats retaking the chamber will dim if they are not able to secure a victory against Sen. Kirk,” concluded Christopher Budzisz, Ph.D., associate professor of politics and director of the Loras College poll.
John Gizzi is chief political columnist and White House correspondent for Newsmax.