Originally posted by the Voice of America. Voice of America content is produced by the Voice of America, a United States federal government-sponsored entity, and is in the public domain. Democrats Leading in Several Key US Senate Races Katherine Gypson WASHINGTON - With less than four months to go until Election Day,congressional Democrats are feeling increasingly confident they can win the handful of seats needed to take back control of the U.S.Senate. Presumptive Democraticpresidentialnominee Joe Biden leads President Donald Trump nationally, with a RealClearPolitics average of polls conducted at the end of June showing the former vice presidentaheadbyeightpercentage points. The dynamics of the presidential race are making for a friendlier environment for Democratic challengers in down-ballot races. Republicans currently control 23 of the 35 seats up for reelection this year,butraces in just a few key states will decide the balance of power. A Democratic-controlled Senate could significantly impact the ability of a reelected Trump to enact a second term agenda,or for presumptive Democratic nominee Joe Biden to enact his policies if he is elected thecountry's46thpresident.Democrats will have to win three to four Senate seats to cement their advantage. Whilethecoronavirus has made for a political environment not seen in any other election year, the unique dynamics of running online campaigns could mean the presidential race has even more of an effect than usual on down-ballot contests. "Both presidential candidates have an awful lot of money to spend," said Todd Belt,director of thepoliticalmanagement program at The George Washington University Graduate School of Political Management. "And in the absence of being able to do a lot of in-person type of stuff, they're going to be spending it targeting swing states." Hereisa look at several states whose Senate races will help determinethepresidentialoutcome. Alabama President Trumpremains extremely popular in Alabama, the onlystate where Republicans havea good chance of unseating Democratic incumbentDoug Jones.Trump is set to rally forformer football coachTommy Tubervillein Mobile, Alabama, later this month, just ahead of the July 14thRepublican primaryin whichformer Attorney General Jeff Sessionsis Tuberville's Republicanrival. Trump has kept the Republican race in the national spotlight withnegativetweetsaboutSessions.Earlier this year, Trumpcriticizedthe formerattorneygeneralfor recusing himself during the special counsel'sinvestigation into Russian interference in the 2016 election. "Jeff, you had your chance & you blew it. Recused yourself ON DAY ONE (you never told me of a problem) andran for the hills. You had nocourage, &ruined many lives," Trump tweeted.[[[1]https://twitter.com/realdonaldtrump/status/126432874468207 8208?lang=en]] Sessions responded to the announcement of Trump's rallyfor Tuberville,tweeting,"The people of Alabama will not be told who to vote for by anyone in Washington. As recent experience demonstrates, in Alabama we make our own decisions on who will represent us in the US Senate." A June 26survey by Democratic polling firm ALG Research shows Jones trailing both Tuberville and Sessions bytwotothreepercentage points in hypothetical head-to-head matchups. The odds still favor Republicans to pick up this seat. The independent Cook Political Reportanalysis websiterates Alabama as a Senate seat that likely leans Republican. Arizona One of five seats held by Republicans senators that are all rated toss-up races by Cook Political Report, Arizona now looks increasingly positive for Democratic challenger and former astronaut Mark Kelly. He leads Republican Martha McSally by an average ofsixpercentage points, according toRealClearPoliticspolls.Kellyhas also outraised McSally, who lost her 2018 race to fill the vacancy left by the death of Sen.John McCain,and was eventually appointed to fillthe vacated seat of Sen. JohnKyl. McSally's problems represent a bigger issue for the RepublicanParty in Arizona.Trump won Arizona by almost four percentage points in the 2016 election,but a poll of 600 likely voters conducted in the last week of June found Biden leading the president by two percentage points. The state's burgeoning Latino population,and the impactthatvoter turnout in the blue-leaning Phoenix area have on the state overall,could result in the state flipping for Biden. Belt says that while the state's demographics are in Kelly's favor, McSally has personal weaknesses that impact the race. "She couldn't even win against her competitor,KyrstenSinema," Belt said. "She's extremely vulnerable, having been appointed to that seat, only been there for two years.So,she hasn't really had a chance to bring home the bacon and do the types of things that make reelection easier." Colorado The Colorado Senate race features a matchup between former Gov.John Hickenlooper and incumbent Sen.Cory Gardner, neither of whom has ever lost a political race in the state. Hickenlooper recently bested his primary challengers while raisinga total of $3.7 millioninless thanthree months,astaterecord for a candidate in the pre-primary stage of the election cycle.A survey of likely Colorado voters at the end of June also showed encouraging numbers for Hickenlooper. He leads Gardnerby 11 percentage points. Gardnerhas tried to deemphasize his ties to Trumpand pushed for a second round of coronavirus aid earlier than mostRepublicans. Colorado has always been included in the handful of presidential swing states.But like Arizona, itsdemographics are diversifying and pushing the statecloser towardDemocrats. Colorado has not gone for a Republican presidential candidate since George W. Bush won the state in 2004. Maine Four-term Sen.Susan Collins is one of a handful of Republican women in the Senate who could lose their seat in November, decreasing the party's gender diversity. Collins faced a flood of fundraising against her reelection extremely early in the election cycle following her controversial vote confirming Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh in 2018,and earlier this year when she was a key swing vote in the decision not to call witnesses inTrump'sSenate impeachment trial. In a July Public Policy Polling survey, Maine voters favored Collins'sDemocratic primary challenger, Maine Speaker of the House Sara Gideon,by four percentage points. That same group of voters told pollsters they perceived Collins as a partisan voice for Trump and Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell by four percentage points over the group of voters who saw her as an independent voice for Maine. Collins was well-known for her ability to be a swing vote between Democrats andRepublicans andcultivated a nonpartisan reputation that now appears to be in jeopardy. Trump lost Maine in 2016.Angus King, Collins'scolleague on the MaineSenate delegation,is expected to win his reelection race this year. North Carolina Like the Democratic challenger in Colorado, Cal Cunningham has raised record amounts, notching $7.4 million for his campaign in the latest quarter of the election cycle. The lawyer andmilitaryveteranistaking on incumbent Republican Sen.Thom Tillis, who won his seat in 2014 by just 1percentage point. North Carolina is part of a handful of states that could be trending away from Republicans due to diversifying demographics,whichis borneoutin the latest polling data. A RealClearPolitics average of several polls conducted in June show Cunningham leading Tillis by three percentage points. Belt sees an opportunity for Democrats in the state,with Trump occupied defending states he has a better chance of winning. "It doesn't look like Trump is going to try to be very competitive there," Belt saidof the president's chances in North Carolina. "He's really fighting a rear-guard action, trying to hold onto Pennsylvania, Ohio and Michigan, where he just did a huge ad buy in those three states.And so,he's sort of neglecting North Carolina." References 1. https://twitter.com/realdonaldtrump/status/1264328744682078208?lang=en .