Sen. Tim Scott (R-SC), chairman of the National Republican Senatorial Committee, said Saturday that Republicans will retain control of the Senate on Tuesday if GOP voters simply turn out to vote, and suggested the party could also flip Democratic-held seats in Michigan, New Hampshire and Minnesota.
Scott made the comments during an appearance on Breitbart News Saturday with host Matthew Boyle, framing the midterm election as a referendum tied directly to President Donald Trump even though Trump is not on the ballot himself.
“The most important thing for us to hold the majority is to trust the president when he says he’s on the ballot. This midterm election is in fact about protecting the America we love. And that means if Republican voters vote, we win,” Scott said. “We don’t need a miracle. We’re not looking for the Hail Mary.”
Scott argued that Republicans need only replicate the turnout levels seen in elections when Trump himself is a candidate, citing a figure Trump has previously claimed.
“We just need Republican voters to do what we do when President Trump is on the ballot. He says there’s a 49.2% increase in vote turnout. If we do our part, we win,” Scott said.
The NRSC chairman named Michigan, New Hampshire and Minnesota as states Republicans have a chance to pick up from Democrats. Those three races were among ten contests Scott had already listed as toss-ups on a map released at the end of September.
On Ohio, where Republican Sen. Jon Husted is running, Scott said he believes public polling understates GOP strength because many voters refuse to participate in surveys.
“So how do you actually poll people who don’t respond to pollsters? The answer is simple. You don’t. And therefore, I think the polls are off. I think President Trump is right. And we are going to make sure that because America is on the ballot, patriots all across this country, including in Ohio, must come out and vote,” Scott said.
Scott urged Republicans to treat the election with the same urgency as a presidential race and not to vote alone, describing turnout efforts as “a team sport this cycle.”
“Your neighbors, your friends, your ugly relatives should go with you to vote. And if that happens, and I know that it will because we love the America we have, when that happens, we will wake up Wednesday morning and, hallelujah, and thank you Jesus, because we will be in the majority.”
Separately, Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton cautioned Saturday that his state’s Senate race should not be assumed safe for Republicans, calling his Senate campaign the toughest of the 20 races he has run.
Republicans currently hold the Senate by a 53-47 margin. Democrats would need to flip four seats, while losing none of their own, to take control of the chamber.
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