Democratic Candidates Leading in Crucial Senate Races Despite Biden Trailing

A new New York Times-Siena College poll indicated that Democratic Senate candidates hold leads in key battleground states.

Details: Democratic Senate candidates are in the lead in Pennsylvania, Wisconsin, Nevada and Arizona. These are four crucial swing states in the presidential election, and despite Democrats leading in the Senate race, Biden is trailing behind former President Donald Trump in Pennsylvania, Nevada and Arizona.

For Context: Democrats currently hold a one-seat majority in the Senate. There are 34 Senate seats up for grabs this year, 23 of which are currently held by Democrats or Independents. If Republicans can flip two seats, they will gain control of the Senate. If they flip one seat and Trump wins back the presidency, they will retake the Senate, since the tie-breaking vote would come from the Republican Vice President.

How the Media Covered It: Outlets across the spectrum reported on the results of the poll, highlighting the disparity between Democratic Senate candidates’ polling numbers and Biden’s polling numbers. The Washington Examiner (Lean Right bias) reported that the poll was good news for Democrats, but the results indicated hope for Republicans since “Democrats face one of their toughest Senate election maps in recent cycles.” The New York Times (Lean Left bias) noted that some Democratic Senate candidates are distancing themselves from Biden in their campaign messaging. The article also highlighted “split-ticket voters” who are planning on voting for the Republican candidate for president and the Democratic candidate in their Senate race.