Democrats suffer big setback in Senate with likely loss in Indiana

In addition to Donnelly and Manchin, other Democrats in Trump's largest states are Heidi Heitkamp of North Dakota, Jon Tester of Montana and Claire McCaskill of Missouri.

The last time they participated in the poll, the nation was not divided in a partisan way and voters were more willing to split their tickets.

"People are voting in a more parliamentary way," said Charlie Cook, head of Cook's non-partisan political report.

The incumbents focused on non-partisan local issues – such as badisting veterans – while putting a strong emphasis on health care, an issue that raises many cross-appeals, especially for the electricians. They promised to be with Trump when they agree with him and keep him standing when they are not.

The Red States' democrats have had the difficult task of keeping their base enthusiastic about their re-election nominations, while attracting enough Republicans they need to carry out their projects.

After Manchin voted for Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh, the liberal group MoveOn.org did not include West Virginia in its voter mobilization campaign.

"We just felt that we could not spend our members' money in good faith in a race where the Democratic candidate was so far from where our members are on such an important issue," said Nick Berning of MoveOn.

Trump focused his ultimate election campaign on the Republican vote in states where the Senate was hotly contested.

"I think I made a big difference," the president told the White House Sunday before flying to more states. "I think I made a difference of five, six or seven years."

His campaign stops did not include Wisconsin, Pennsylvania or Michigan – the Trump states were narrowly defeated, but Democratic Party candidates had easier reelection campaigns than expected.

Larry Sabato, director of the Center for Politics of the University of Virginia, called them "quick-return" states. The small margin of 2016 Trump means that there are many voters "who have a party identity not aligned with the president".

"As soon as the opportunity arises, they reaffirm their identity," he said.

Conversely, the long – time proponents of Red Texas are challenged by O 's Rourke campaign on Cruz, fueled by social media. In a very blue New Jersey, the Democrats had to spend millions of dollars on last-minute advertising to help Menendez, who survived a corruption and other corruption lawsuit last fall, and was warned by the Senate Committee on Bipartite Ethics.

Democrats hope to offset their losses with increases in Tennessee and Arizona, states in which the Republican president has chosen not to re-elect after publicly criticizing Trump.

In Nevada, where Senator Dean Heller is the only Republican senator to be re-elected in a lost state, Trump, Heller kissed Trump and tried to create some distance.

Heller said that 80% of what the president had done was "very, very good," while the rest was a "reality show."

Maryland Senator Chris Van Hollen, leader of the Senate Democrats campaign group, admitted that his party is in a much better position than could have been predicted 18 months later. The Republicans thought they could win enough seats to have a majority at the buccaneers' test.

"Nobody is talking about that yet," Van Hollen told Sunday on "Meet the Press" on NBC.

Cook, the non-partisan handicapper, said it was possible for Democrats to get a seat or two in the Senate. But the most likely outcome, he predicted Friday, before the elections, is that Republicans remain at least stable, or even win one or two seats in the Senate, while losing their seat.

The Senate does not always go in the same direction as the House in an election. In 1970, for example, the Republicans surrendered 10 seats in the House and won one in the Senate.

But Eric Ostermeier, author of the Smart Politics blog at the University of Minnesota, has never lost total control of the House while increasing power in the Senate.

"It's unusual because the odds are so high in favor of the party that is actually the least popular party," Sabato said. "Democrats were pretty much behind the Senate from the beginning."

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