Republican senators up for reelection in swing states have a delicate balance to strike. They need to get almost all GOP voters in their column while reaching out to independents and Democrats. And President Donald Trump does not make that easy.

CQ Roll Call elections analyst and Inside Elections publisher Nathan L. Gonzales explains the politics. For instance, in Colorado, Republican Cory Gardner finds himself up next year in a state increasingly trending Democratic. Inside Elections rates his race a Toss-up.

From his conversations with pollsters in the field, Gonzales says that even if Gardner were to unify Republicans in the state, he would still be well short of where he needs to be to secure a victory. That means he needs Democrats and independents. But the closer he hews to Trump and GOP loyalties, the harder it is to build that kind of coalition. 

Gardner is not alone, either. Other potentially vulnerable Republican senators like Susan Collins in Maine, Thom Tillis in North Carolina, Martha McSally in Arizona and Joni Ernst in Iowa all have balancing acts to perform as they look to convince voters to send them back to Washington. 

Show Notes:

• CQ Roll Call Election Guide 2020
• Ratings change: GOP Senate chances improve in Georgia, decline in NC, Iowa
• Key takeaways from the latest House and Senate fundraising reports
• Susan Collins has a 2020 problem
• Democrat Sara Gideon is challenging Maine’s Susan Collins
• John Hickenlooper’s Senate fundraising outpaces presidential campaign
• Jedi impeachment politics: Wrong your conventional wisdom could be
• Iowa’s Joni Ernst preps for ‘full throttle’ Senate race
• Martha McSally: Short general election was key factor in 2018 loss
• Another Democratic challenger announces bid to unseat Sen. Thom Tillis
• Will Trump go negative? … Just kidding

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