These 9 Senate Races Are Tight, According To A Powerhouse Political Organizer

Senate Watch 2020 The woman behind Vote Save America offers the Election Day crystal ball we crave — and predicts the Senate outcome. by Brianna Kovan July 23, 2020 TIMOTHY A. CLARY/AFP/Getty Images

Courtesy of Crooked Media In 2014, Shaniqua McClendon was working on the reelection campaign for North Carolina Sen. Kay Hagan (D), who ultimately lost by 1.7%, less than 50,000 votes , to Sen. Thom Tillis (R). Six years later, the former White House intern is back, leading Crooked Media's voter-engagement initiatives and trying to flip the Senate seat back to Democrats.

Sound familiar?

Crooked Media is the parent company of Pod Save America , the breakout political podcast from a quartet of former Obama aides. Now in its third year, the podcast racks up millions of listeners per episode. The Washington Post/The Washington Post/Getty Images

They took it a step further.

The company's also expanded into activist work, launching Vote Save America for the 2018 midterm elections, 2019's F*ck Gerry(mandering) Fund , and more. In May, they launched the Adopt A State campaign, which hopes to rally participants to extend their activist work beyond their state's borders. The Washington Post/The Washington Post/Getty Images

Courtesy of Crooked Media, McClendon led the Vote Save America efforts, and is now deep into poll-tracking for Adopt A State. She answers five of our burning questions about the Senate races.

1. Which Senate seats do you and your team consider true toss-ups? Pool/Getty Images News/Getty Images

Colorado, Maine, North Carolina, Montana, Kansas, Iowa, Georgia, Alabama, and Michigan. Pool/Getty Images News/Getty Images

2. Which races do you think will be tightest? Bill Clark/CQ-Roll Call, Inc./Getty Images

Doug Jones’s [Alabama] race is going to be tough, and then Arizona and Colorado. Most analysts have said those are Democrats' best two pickup opportunities. Bill Clark/CQ-Roll Call, Inc./Getty Images

3. Which polls do you and your team rely on? Mario Tama/Getty Images News/Getty Images

Most of the time I use the RealClearPolitics site . They aggregate polls, and for me, taking the average is helpful. Mario Tama/Getty Images News/Getty Images

4. Since you’re from North Carolina, what’s your take on that toss-up race? Pool/Getty Images News/Getty Images

People think North Carolina's a very red state, but it's actually pretty purple. One of the first things Tom Tillis got publicity for was saying that the government shouldn’t tell restaurant employees to wash their hands after they use the bathrooms. [He's] really unpopular . Pool/Getty Images News/Getty Images

5. If the election were today, what do you think the Senate outcome would be? nojustice/E+/Getty Images

This is speculation. I think [Democrats] get Arizona, Colorado, North Carolina, and win Maine too. I think it’s going to be a close margin, but I’ll go with 52-48. nojustice/E+/Getty Images

Thanks, Shaniqua! Tune in for the next round of Senate Watch 2020.

TIMOTHY A. CLARY/AFP/Getty Images

These 9 Senate Races Are Tight, According To A Powerhouse Political Organizer

Sound familiar?

They took it a step further.

Thanks, Shaniqua! Tune in for the next round of Senate Watch 2020.

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