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McConnell, at a news conference in Louisville, said, "I hope that when the smoke clears, we will still have a majority in the Senate."
Michael Clevenger / Courier Journal, Louisville Courier Journal

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Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell speaks at Fancy Farm.
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Mitch McConnell, generally confident, made clear Tuesday's expectations of the Republicans' prospects in the November midterm elections, likening the campaign to a knife fight or an imminent hurricane.

The majority leader in the Senate went so far as to say that the Senate, generally considered safe to remain in Republican control, might be difficult to hold.

"We had a storm on the coast," McConnell said. "We know that the wind will touch us. We do not know if it will be category three, four or five.

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McConnell said that there were tight races in Arizona, Florida, Indiana, Missouri, Montana, Nevada, North Dakota, Tennessee and West Virginia.

"They are all too close and all look like a knife fight in an alley," McConnell said. "I hope that when the smoke clears, we will still have a majority in the Senate."

FiveThirtyEight, an independent polling site, estimates that Republicans risk losing the Senate to 22% and that Democrats have a chance to seize the House.

McConnell has expressed concern over the Texas Senate race that pits outgoing Republican President Ted Cruz against US representative Beto O'Rourke, who has so far presented an unusual and unexpected challenge. At the end of August, a poll of Emerson College had led the outgoing Republican president to only 1%.

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"I think Ted has a competitive race by all means," McConnell said. "We certainly expect to win in Texas, but he has a competitive race."

Thomas Novelly: [email protected], 502-582-4465. Support a strong local journalism by subscribing today: courier-journal.com/tomn.

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