Who voters choose in California may also be the deciding factor as to whether control of the Senate remains with Democrats or passes to Republicans.
The hard-fought race between Democrat Barbara Boxer and Republican Carly Fiorina is being tipped as one of the deciding races in the Senate balance.
It is widely expected that Republicans will win in the House, however the bid for control of the Senate is a much harder feat. Democrats currently have a majority of 59, with 57 Democrats and 2 independents, so the Republicans would have to keep all of their seats plus win a further 10 to tip the balance in their favor.
Aside from ousting three-term incumbent Boxer in California, the Republicans would also have to oust Nevada’s Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid as well as President Obama’s former seat of Illinois and the seat held by Democrat Robert Byrd for five decades in West Virginia, currently being contested by Democrat Joe Manchin in a very tight race with Republican John Raese.
California and Washington are said to be the two races which will ultimately decide the fate of the Senate, and Carly Fiorina is being backed big-time by Republicans. The former Hewlett-Packard CEO has been bolstered by more than $5 million into her campaign coffers, which shows "not only the importance of this race but also the viability of Carly," according to a Fiorina campaign spokesperson.
At this point, Boxer is in the mid-40’s in the polls, which has her campaign worried, with little less than two weeks until the election. But in this volatile political climate, nothing is certain until polls close November 2.
