McConnell says Democrats have '50-50' shot at taking the Senate

Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) warned Thursday the odds are "50-50" that the Democratic Party could wrest control of the Senate away from Republicans in the upcoming general election, saying races across the U.S. are simply too close to call less than a week from Nov. 3.

What are the details?

McConnell was asked during a campaign stop in his home state whether he believes the GOP will be able to maintain control of the upper chamber, WLEX-TV reported, and the Republican leader said that is up in the air as far as he is concerned.

"It's a 50-50 proposition," McConnell replied, according to Fox News. "We have a lot of exposure."

He explained, "This is a huge Republican class. There are dogfights all over the country."

Fox pointed out that "Republicans will be defending 23 seats in Tuesday's election, compared to Democrats' 12 seats."

As of this writing, RealClearPolitics' polling averages indicate that 45 Senate seats appear safely or likely in the hands of Democrats, while 46 seats appear safely or likely in the hands of Republicans. Another nine races are considered toss-ups, and seven of those seats are currently held by GOP incumbents.

McConnell himself is up for reelection this cycle, and faces a challenge from Democrat Amy McGrath, a former Marine fighter pilot whose campaign has outraised McConnell's "repeatedly" throughout the race. But several polls highlighted by the Louisville Courier Journal show McConnell, who has served the commonwealth in Congress for more than three decades, holding a double digit lead over McGrath.

The Republican senator gave his supporters a rosier outlook about his own race than the Senate at large, adding Wednesday, "I'm confident that I'm going to be successful. I've made my case to the people of Kentucky. I think it's a convincing case."

Mitch McConnell makes campaign stop in Anderson County on Wednesdaywww.youtube.com

Anything else?

The Daily Caller noted that "Republicans currently have a 53-47 majority in the Senate," but "Democrats are fighting to take back the three seats and the White House, to have the tie-breaking vote from the Vice President."