Presently, there are 51 Democrats, two Independents, and 47 Republicans In the US Senate.
There are 33 races for the Senate this year, with 23 being Democratic or Independent seats, and just 10 being Republican.
So the odds would seem to be in favor of the Republicans gaining seats, and possibly the majority of the Senate, if they can gain four seats, or three seats if Paul Ryan becomes Vice President.
Eleven Senators are retiring, 6 Democrats, one Independent (Joe Lieberman of Connecticut), and 4 Republicans.
Sixteen Democrats are seeking reelection, while six Republicans are seeking another term.
Many of these seats are seen as “safe”, with 11 Democrats out of the 16 seemingly safe, and four out of six Republicans considered to be assured reelection.
So the real struggle for the US Senate is for five seats held by Democrats, plus seven seats being vacated, for a total of 12 seats—plus three seats of retired Republicans, and two seats of Republicans running for reelection, for a total of 5 seats.
So 17 seats are up for grabs, and the maximum number of seats that could be gained by the Democrats would be five, making a possible total of 58, including two Independents, and for the Republicans, the maximum number of seats that could be gained is 12, for a possible total of 59 seats.
Will the Democrats have 58 seats, or the Republicans have 59 seats, in reality? The answer is NO, but it leaves the future of the Senate very much in play.
These races will be examined in the upcoming weeks until the election six weeks from now!