Johnson Race Now Rated a ‘Tossup’

The race for U.S. Senator Ron Johnson‘s seat just got closer, according to the respected Cook Political Report, which changed its prediction for the race from “Leans Republican” to a “Tossup.”

The race could decide which party holds control in the Senate, which currently has a 50-50 split, which can be broken by a vote by Democratic Vice President Kamala Harris. The Cook report currently predicts there are just three toss-up races that could decide the race: open seats in Pennsylvania and North Carolina where Republicans Patrick Toomey and Richard Burr, respectively, are retiring, and the seat held by Johnson, who hasn’t yet announced whether he will seek reelection.

All told, Republicans have 20 seats up for reelection in the Senate compared to the Democrats’ 14. “That makes it very hard for the GOP to get even the one seat necessary to recapture control,” a column by Charles Cook recently noted. “Among states decided in the 2020 presidential race by 4.9 percentage points or less, Republicans are defending four and Democrats three” Senate seats

Much has been written about the history of the party in power in the White House losing seats in mid-term elections, but as Cook notes, the curse only applies to House seats. “In the 27 midterm elections since 1914, when senators were first directly elected by voters, the party holding the White House has actually gained seats in seven and broken even in one.”

Which makes it all the more important for Republicans to win Johnson’s seat.

Meanwhile, Wisconsin’s controversial senator continues to win infamy for his wrongful claims about the COVID-19 vaccine. “Johnson has emerged as the leading vaccine skeptic in Congress this year,” the Washington Post has reported. “For months, the senator has been peddling misinformation about coronavirus vaccines, undeterred by fact checkers, federal health agencies, medical experts and a growing body of scientific research.”

Three days ago the newspaper reviewed Johnson’s claims that “natural immunity is as strong if not stronger than vaccinated immunity” and “There is a risk to the vaccine… there are some pretty serious side effects, including death.”

After consulting scientists, the Post gave these claims a rating of “Four Pinocchios” or lies that are “whoppers.”

“We don’t know what motivates this one-man campaign of misinformation on a vital public health issue, but it’s clear this is a deliberate effort and not just a few stray comments,” the Post noted.