Can Democrats regain Senate control? Prospects are improving | McClatchy Washington Bureau

Republicans are bracing for a rough time keeping control of the Senate, and a new Roll Call assessment of the races shows they have reason to worry.

They evaluated the challengers and offered a new list Tuesday. At the top is Missouri, where state Secretary of State Jason Kander is challenging Sen. Roy Blunt, R-Mo.

“Democrats once considered Kander a good candidate who probably couldn’t come out on top in red-state Missouri. Now, they believe he’s their best candidate and are counting on him to win in November,” wrote Roll Call’s Alex Roarty.

He noted that his surge is “mostly thanks to the strength of Kander, the rare post-Obama Democrat whose military background and familiarity with guns has appeal to culturally conservative voters.”

Second on the list of challengers is a Republican, Rep. Joe Heck, R-Nevada, who’s seeking the seat now held by Senate Democratic Leader Harry Reid, who’s retiring.

Then the list is mostly Democrats. Former Sen. Russ Feingold’s bid to regain the seat he lost is number 3. Next are former Sen. Evan Bayh of Indiana, a Democrat trying to win a Republican-leaning state.

Then comes Gov. Maggie Hassan of New Hampshire, a Democrat trying to unseat Sen. Kelly Ayotte, R-N.H., and Rep. Tammy Duckworth, D-Ill., aiming to topple Sen. Mark Kirk, R-Ill.

Democrats now control 46 of the Senate’s 100 seats. That means the party needs a net gain of four if Hillary Clinton becomes president and five if Donald Trump wins.