Charlie Cook: “Suffice it to say that the president is a major liability for GOP Senate candidates. By my count, nine Senate races are now genuinely competitive: six in GOP hands (Alaska, Iowa, Kansas, Maine, Ohio, and Texas) and three held by Democrats (Michigan, Minnesota, and New Hampshire).”

“Only four of the nine have incumbents still in the hunt, all Republicans: Sens. Dan Sullivan of Alaska, Roger Marshall of Kansas, Susan Collins of Maine, and Jon Husted of Ohio. All three Democratic seats on this very competitive list are open. Out of all nine, the one real surprise to me is Kansas; I was dismissive of such talk until the last few weeks.”

“Arithmetically speaking—and I emphasize this is purely theoretical—the range of outcomes could be anywhere from a net loss by Democrats of three seats to a net loss for Republicans of six. The two extreme outcomes are almost impossible, but it does make the point that there are nine very tight races and the range of outcomes is mind-boggling. It should be remembered that in the end, the tightest races rarely split down the middle—half going to one party, the other in the opposite direction. The breaks tend to go overwhelmingly in one direction.”

“Republicans are pouring in tens of millions of dollars to shore up the Senate campaign of Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton, who has faced major struggles in his race against Democrat James Talarico. But Democrats are divided on whether to direct valuable resources to what’s been a solidly red state,” the Washington Sun reports.

“Some Democrats want their party to commit more money to aid Talarico on the expensive Texas airwaves. Republicans are outpacing Democrats in the spending race by more than $70 million this month, with Election Day fast approaching.”

“Republicans may have to make hard choices this fall as they shape their strategy for keeping the Senate — and some think it might not include North Carolina or Georgia,” Semafor reports.

“Just 10 years ago, those two southern states formed the bedrock of Republicans’ Senate majorities. But as President Donald Trump’s low approval ratings hamper the party’s candidates nationwide and widen the battleground map, some in the GOP want to adjust tactics and consider moving money away from races where its candidates are struggling to gain traction.”