McConnell: Republicans hold 50-50 chance of winning Senate

ByABC News
July 9, 2012, 10:04 AM

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Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell downplayed expectations of a Republican Senate takeover when asked to gauge his party's odds Sunday on CNN's "State of the Union."

50-50. I think it is going to be a very close, competitive election. There are a number of places where we have opportunities for pickups, not many places where we have much chance of losing a seat. I think at the end of the day, we're gonna have a very narrow Senate one way or the other.

The Kentucky Republican expressed confidence in his party's odds in highly competitive races Virginia and Massachusetts.

Republicans currently hold 47 seats in the Senate to Democrats' 51, plus Independent Bernie Sanders of Vermont and Independent Democrat Joe Lieberman of Connecticut. Ten Republicans are up for re-election this year, compared to 23 Democrats (counting Lieberman and Sanders, who caucus with the party).