McConnell suggests higher odds of Republicans taking Senate

By FARNOUSH AMIRI
Associated Press

WASHINGTON (AP) — Senate Republican leader Mitch McConnell says he believes his party now has a 50-50 shot of getting the chamber back less than six weeks away from the midterm elections. The optimistic statement from the GOP leader Wednesday comes after he drew criticism last month from those in his caucus when he downplayed the party’s chances in the fall elections, saying it would be more likely for Republicans to gain control of the House than the Senate. McConnell has been careful about overstating any GOP gains in the chamber and he previously criticized the “quality” of candidates in key races like Arizona and Ohio.