Democrats edge out Republicans in 7 heated Senate races: NYT polls 

Final polls published on 1 November by The New York Times and Siena University put Democratic candidates ahead in seven closely watched US Senate races. Their leads ranged from 11 percentage points in Michigan and seven in Texas to two in Alaska and one in Iowa. Democrats also led by six points in Maine and five points each in Kansas and Ohio. The surveys offered a potentially favourable picture for Democrats as they sought the four-seat net gain needed to take control of the Senate in the 3 November midterm elections.

The margins call for caution. Five of the seven leads were small enough that sampling error could account for the difference; only the Michigan and Texas leads were clearly wider than the polls’ reported error ranges. The Hill reported that Democratic candidates led among independent voters in all seven states. Siena’s research director said the results made a Democratic majority a distinct possibility, while stressing that either party could still win control. The polls measured voter intentions before polling day, not election results.