WASHINGTON (AP) — Republicans are on offense in scores of House and Senate races as persistent economic woes and lukewarm support for President Barack Obama continue to weaken Democrats’ hold on Congress.
The president and his party are determined to minimize the losses six months before the November elections. But Democrats privately acknowledge the economy and support for Obama must improve before then to avoid the defeats that could cost them control of the House and possibly the Senate.
Primaries in Indiana, Ohio and North Carolina on Tuesday kick off an intense eight weeks of contested elections. There also are two special House elections to fill vacant Democratic-held seats in Pennsylvania and Hawaii. The outcome could be a clear indicator of the political mood.
“I need your help once more,” Obama says in a video message to backers, a plea that underscores the troubles for Democrats. “This year, the stakes are higher than ever,” the president adds, warning that Republicans would “undo all that we have accomplished.”
Although Obama isn’t on the ballot, a Democratic shellacking would be seen as a rebuke of the president’s first two years in office, much like 1994 was for President Bill Clinton when the GOP reclaimed the House and Senate.
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