Obama Approval is a Problem for Senate Democrats

National Journal: “Republicans need to capture six seats to win control of the Senate, and Democrats have to defend five deep-red states–Arkansas, Alaska, Montana, South Dakota, and West Virginia–where Obama’s approval rating was at or below 35 percent in 2013… In the past 10 years, just nine senators of the president’s party have won elections in states where presidential approval slips below the national average, according to a review of exit polls and election results since 2004.”

“Not a single Republican victory is assured in 2014, and Democrats have solid candidates defending most of their seats. But recent history underscores how difficult it will be to defend so many Senate seats that lean so strongly against the leader of their party.”