These 7 key midterm races are in dead heats

With just four days until the midterms, several key races are looking closer than ever.

Democrats have spent the last several weeks crowing about taking back the House — and polls indicate they have a decent shot. Republicans, however, look likely to maintain their narrow majority in the Senate.

Beyond Congress, historic contests are happening at the state and local levels. For example, Georgia could elect the nation’s first black female governor — and the polling shows its neck and neck.

Here are the close races you should be watching on Tuesday.

In Georgia’s gubernatorial race, Democrat Stacey Abrams and her Republican opponent Brian Kemp are in statistical tie, according to a new Atlanta Journal Constitution/Channel 2 Action News. Abrams, who would be the first black female governor elected in the U.S., has about 46.9 percent of the vote, and Kemp has 46.7 percent.

The vote is so close that it could trigger a December runoff if neither of the candidates gets a majority. In the last several weeks, however, Abrams has attracted a variety of celebrity supporters. On Thursday, Oprah Winfrey canvassed for Abrams and gave a speech urging voters to support her. Vice President Mike Pence, on the other hand, campaigned for Kemp.

Florida Democrat Andrew Gillum, the progressive mayor of Tallahassee, shocked the country with a victory in his primary. Now, he has a 1 point lead over his opponent in the general election, Republican Ron DeSantis.

Gillum notably supports impeaching President Donald Trump, who traveled to Florida on Wednesday to campaign for DeSantis. Throughout his campaign,, he’s come under fire for his comments about race. DeSantis, for example, said on Aug. 28 — just one day after Gillum, who’s black, won the primary — that his opponent could “monkey this up.” DeSantis denied the comments were meant to be racist.

In a Monday tweet, Trump called Gillum a “thief.”

“If I’m stealing anything, it’s hearts and minds,” Gillum responded.

The House is littered with toss-up races, and Democrats are favored to regain control of the body for the first time since 2010. In Florida, for example, Democrat challenger Debbie Mucarsel-Powell is just 1 point ahead of Republican incumbent Carlos Curbelo, according to New York Times Upshot poll. And in Virginia, Democratic challenger Abigail Spanberger is 2 points behind Republican Rep. Dave Brat in another Upshot poll.

Most notably, Iowa Rep. Steve King, a Republican who has won re-election every year since 2003 is in trouble this year. He’s being forced to reckon with a long history of racism accusations. A new poll shows that he’s leading his Democratic challenger J.D. Scholten by just 1 point. At a candidates’ forum Thursday, King threw a public tantrum and kicked an Iowa State University student out when he asked King if he was a white nationalist.

“You’ve crossed the line. It’s not tolerable to accuse me of being associated with a guy who killed 11 people in Pittsburgh,” King said. “I am a person who supported Israel from the beginning. I’ve been with them all along, and I will not answer your question.”

“If you don’t have a white supremacist worldview, then why did you travel to Austria to meet with a white supremacist organization,” the student asked. “Do you identify as a white supremacist?”

“Stop it!” King shouted.

• Current Gov. Rick Scott, a Republican who is running for U.S. Senate, trails Democratic candidate Bill Nelson by 2 points, according to a CNN poll.
• An NBC poll shows that Republican challenger Mike Braun trails Democratic Sen. Joe Donnelly by 2 points.
• Fox News polling has Sen Claire McCaskill, a prominent Missouri Democrat, slightly trailing her Republican challenger, Missouri Attorney General Josh Hawley.
• A recent New York Times poll, in more good news for Republicans, predicts that Martha McSally will narrowly defeat Democratic Rep. Kyrsten Sinema, who is running for Senate.

Cover image: This combination of May 20, 2018, file photos shows Georgia gubernatorial candidates Stacey Abrams, left, and Brian Kemp in Atlanta. (AP Photos/John Amis, File)