Capehart and Continetti on closing messages and midterm predictions

With Election Day three days away, PBS NewsHour's Friday political roundtable with Jonathan Capehart of MS NOW and Matthew Continetti of the American Enterprise Institute weighed how the midterms may play out. Both see Democrats likely to win the House, while control of the Senate remains uncertain. Host Amna Nawaz noted that the Cook Political Report had moved a dozen more House seats toward Democrats that day.

Continetti projected a Democratic House majority of 15 to 20 seats and a Republican Senate hold by the narrowest of margins, probably a 50-50 split that would keep Vice President Vance busy casting tiebreaking votes. Capehart accepted the House forecast but cautioned that ticket-splitting in Florida, Texas and Michigan makes the Senate hard to call. He added that toss-up contests are mostly in Republican-leaning states, and that Minnesota looks less attainable for Democrats.

On closing messages, President Trump has been visiting states he won comfortably in 2024, with Iowa and Kansas next. Nawaz pointed to his anti-Muslim attacks on Michigan Democrat Abdul El-Sayed and his lack of focus on affordability. Continetti said the aim is to energize his base, even as other 2024 supporters drift away.

Summarized by PolitiKool from PBS NewsHour’s reporting. Read the full story at PBS NewsHour →