Democrats, Republicans campaign in the runup to midterm elections

Republicans and Democrats are scrambling to campaign in the final hours prior to Tuesday’s midterm election, the outcome of which will determine which party controls the Senate for the last two years of President Barack Obama’s term.

The six seats the conservatives need to wrest control of the upper chamber of Congress from the Democrats, and thus control both houses, are the focus of virtually all the calculations and strategies of the two parties, including in the key states of Colorado and Iowa.

Very aware of the power of minorities in his state, especially Latinos, Democratic Colorado Sen. Mark Udall on Monday kicked off the day’s campaign efforts by directing his message to Hispanics accompanied by his party’s heavy hitters among that community, which comprises 12 percent of the electorate.

Former Interior Secretary Ken Salazar and Illinois Congressman Luis Gutierrez, one of the Democratic leaders in defending immigrants’ rights, came to Denver to accompany Udall in the final sprint to try and mobilize the Latino vote.

Udall is running against Republican Cory Gardner in one of the tightest races in Tuesday’s vote.

Although since the start of the campaign voting predictions have favored the conservatives, recent polls have given them even more optimistic chances of taking control of the Senate, forecasting victories in the races in Montana, South Dakota and West Virginia, and very good chances of prevailing in Arkansas, Louisiana and Colorado.

Despite the fact that things are not looking especially good for the Democrats, the issue of Senate control is still open thanks to a handful of states where the contests are tight and their hopes are still alive.

Both Obama and Vice President Joe Biden have said they believe that their party will be able to maintain control of the Senate, although they expect to have a slimmer majority there.

White House press secretary Josh Earnest said Monday at a press conference that Obama and Biden base their conviction on the claim that the Democrats have a “very strong argument” in their favor if voters go to the polls motivated by the campaign’s “central question” intending to vote for the candidate who is fighting for policies that benefit middle class families.

In addition to a third of the Senate seats, up for grabs in the midterm elections are all 435 House seats and 36 governorships. EFEUSA