McConnell says GOP has '50-50' shot at taking Senate

Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell said Republicans have a "50-50" shot to retake the upper chamber of Congress in the November midterm elections.

“Flipping the Senate, what are the chances? It’s a 50–50 proposition. We’ve got a 50–50 Senate right now. We’ve got a 50–50 nation. And I think the outcome is likely to be very, very close either way,” he said, per the Epoch Times.

“If both the House and the Senate flip, I think the president will be a moderate,” he added. “He won’t have any choice. And so, we’ll try to find ways to make some progress for the country during the last two years of his term... but not big dramatic change.”

McConnell cited "candidate quality" among the reasons he was less optimistic about GOP prospects. The remark was an apparent jab at former President Donald Trump, whose endorsees have claimed many victories in the party primaries but face steep odds in general elections.

Dr. Mehmet Oz, who received Trump's endorsement, won the Pennsylvania GOP Senate primary and faces Democratic Lt. Gov. John Fetterman. RealClearPolitics currently rates the race as +7.5 for Fetterman. Oz seeks to replace retiring GOP Sen. Pat Toomey.

In Arizona, meanwhile, Trump-backed candidate Blake Masters faces an uphill battle to defeat Democratic Sen. Mark Kelly. Recent polls have shown Kelly with an 8-9 point lead.