[ot-caption title=”A look at the current Senate Race map going into November 8th.” (via Orser67, WikiMedia)”]

As election day approaches, there won’t just be a new president; the Senate will have new members, as well. Presently, Democrats have 46 seats (including two independents that caucus with the Democrats) to 54 of the Republicans. In this 2016 election, 34 seats are up for grabs, 24 of which are held by Republicans. The race is being watched from all angles since Democrats need to gain 4 or 5 seats to take control, and they are currently projected to take back control of the Senate, according to the New York Times. [spacer height=”20px”]

As of now, Democratic nominee Hilary Clinton is leading in the polls. Usually, Senate election results are tied with whoever wins the presidential vote, so if Clinton becomes President there is a good chance that the Senate will have 4 seats taken by Democrats. However, this election is not usual, so any trend is possible, including an increase in split-ticket voting where a voter picks some Democrats and some Republicans. [spacer height=”20px”]

The Republican Senate candidates may have been hurt by the unprofessional image of the party due video leaked by Access Hollywood on October 7, 2016.  Trump’s comments have hurt him in the polls, but have also made his fellow Republicans try to disassociate from him in order to make their campaigns for Senate look better.  [spacer height=”20px”]

Democratic candidates are also struggling due to the declining reputation of the DNC.  WikiLeaks leaked several emails that have placed the Democratic Party in a bad light; from discussing ways to bring down Sanders through his religion to showing how DNC interim chair, Donna Brazile, helped the Clinton campaign, disrupting the neutrality her position required. The FBI also announced they will reopen the Clinton email investigation, adding extra ambiguity to the Democratic ticket.  [spacer height=”20px”]

“I believe the scandals from both Trump and Clinton could hurt the people running for Senate since they reflect their parties poorly,” junior Isaac Seifert said. [spacer height=”20px”]

With all of these factors kept in mind, anything could happen on Election Day. This Senate election is going to be a good one, so make sure you keep watching.  [spacer height=”20px”]

Sources: ABC News, Salon, Fox News, New York Times, ElectoralVote.Com