(NEXSTAR) – With just over a month until the November 5 election, much of the nation’s attention is focused on the Presidential race between Vice President Kamala Harris and Former President Donald Trump, but the balance of power could also shift dramatically at the congressional level this fall.
As it stands, the Republican Party holds a slim majority in the House of Representatives, and the Democrats retain an even smaller edge in the Senate. Election forecasters say either or both chambers could change hands as a result of the General Election next month.
A challenging electoral cycle has forced Democrats to defend seats in Montana, Ohio and several other states in hopes or retaining their single-vote majority. Head-to-head debates this month in key races could swing momentum and determine which party controls the chamber in the next Congress.
Nexstar, the parent company of this news website, will host a series of potentially pivotal debates between now and election day. The first was Wednesday’s meeting between Virginia Democratic Sen. Tim Kaine and Republican challenger Hung Cao on Norfolk-based WAVY-TV. You can watch the full debate in the player above.
WAVY’s political team is monitoring the reaction to the debate and tracking and will be tracking the polls between now and election day. Visit the WAVY website now for a summary of Wednesday’s key topics.
Prior to the debate, a survey of the race conducted from Sept. 22-24 by Emerson College, The Hill and WAVY-TV found about a 10-point gap in favor of Kaine, the incumbent Democrat and former Vice Presidential nominee. Kaine held a 51% to 41% lead over Cao, a retired Navy captain, based on a survey of 860 likely voters.
If Kaine is victorious on Election Day, it would prevent Republicans from picking up a significant seat in their bid to take control of the Senate. Wednesday’s debate may be Cao’s best chance to change the trajectory of the campaign prior to election day.