Tight race for Senate puts Dems on defense

We’re in the thick of down-ballot debate season. So it’s a good time to talk about some through lines here. House and Senate candidates are obviously focusing on local issues in most races (we see you, Alaska Fisheries Debate), but there are a few common threads clearly dominating the election cycle. The top three won’t surprise you: the economy, abortion and the border. Let’s zero in on the latter two, and another we noticed cropping up: BORDER SECURITY AND IMMIGRATION: Candidates in districts that aren’t remotely close to the Rio Grande River are frequently talking about how to tackle border problems in debates. The broad strokes should sound familiar: Republicans are hammering Democrats on the Biden administration’s handling of the border, and Democrats are scolding Republicans for tanking a bipartisan border security deal in the Senate early this year. Read the full story: https://www.politico.com/newsletters/inside-congress/2024/10/15/digging-into-down-ballot-debates-00183769 ----------------------------------------- Subscribe to our channel! https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCgjtvMmHXbutALaw9XzRkAg?view_as=subscriber Check out our video catalog: https://www.politico.com/video Follow POLITICO here: ➤ X: https://x.com/politico ➤ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/politico/ ➤ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/politico/