Reid bullish on Dems’ chances of retaking Senate

by Jordain Carney - 09/13/16 3:54 PM ET

Senate Minority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) on Tuesday brushed off a spate of recent polling that shows GOP candidates leading in crucial Senate races, arguing his party will win control of the upper chamber in November.

“I personally feel vey comfortable that we’re going to have a Democratic majority leader. He’s from New York. We feel very comfortable with where we are,” Reid told reporters. “Even though we’re watching the Koch brothers try to buy America, we feel comfortable that they’re not going to be able to buy the Senate.”

{mosads}Senate Democrats discussed the battle for the Senate majority during a closed-door meeting Tuesday. The huddle comes less than a week after Sen. Jon Tester (D-Mont.), the chairman of the caucus’s campaign arm, warned his colleagues that if the election were held that day, they would only pick up three seats.

NBC News/Wall Street Journal/Marist polls released over the weekend showed GOP candidates in four Senate races, including Reid’s home state, currently leading. But Reid brushed those off, saying, “They don’t work.”

He added, “Trump is going to lose Nevada, and [Rep.] Joe Heck [R-Nev.] is deservedly going to lose the Senate race.”

Democrats need to net five seats — or four if they retain the White House — to win back control of the Senate. Republicans are defending 24 Senate seats, including a handful in states previously won by President Obama.

Both Reid and Sen. Dick Durbin (D-Ill.) credited Democratic senators for stepping up their efforts, including through financial support, for the party’s push to recapture the majority after months of warnings from top Democrats that they would be outspent.

Durbin, questioned about the caucus discussions, said it was “worrisome” that Republicans are making a “massive infusion” of money into high-profile Senate races.

“I think it comes down to the money,” he said. “Our caucus has responded well, quickly, generously to support our people. Folks are volunteering to try to raise money.”

The Democratic huddles come as Republican senators appear increasingly hopeful about their chances of holding on to the majority as the presidential race tightens.

John Cornyn (Texas), the Senate’s No. 2 Republican, said he’s “more optimistic than I have been in a while.”

Tags Dick Durbin Harry Reid John Cornyn Jon Tester