Democrats think a blue wave is building. Here are 3 forces that could stop it

Democratic Senate Leader is sounding increasingly bullish about his party's chances of riding a potential blue wave into November, declaring Democrats have "the wind in our sails" as national and battleground polling points to a favorable political environment in the midterm elections.

But beneath that confidence are three variables that could determine whether the Democratic advantage becomes a wave — or breaks before Election Day: a potential polling undercount of Republicans, persistent voter skepticism of the Democratic brand, and the GOPs financial firepower advantage.

Schumer, speaking to reporters last week as the Senate adjourned until after Election Day, predicted that Democrats are "on the edge of taking back the Senate."

After nearly two years of President back in the White House and Republican control of the Senate and the House, Schumer emphasized, "Americans are frustrated with higher costs and a government they dont believe is working for them."

The GOP is fighting political history, which has traditionally seen the party in power in Washington lose congressional seats during years. Add to that a challenging political climate fueled by persistent inflation Americans see at the grocery store, high gas prices tied to what polls show is an unpopular war with Iran, and Trump's negative approval ratings.

The latest polls indicate Democrats holding an advantage over Republicans in the battle for Congress and that they are more enthusiastic to vote in the midterms.

But Trump predicts that Republicans will perform much better in the midterms than critics and pollsters expect.

"I think were going to have a big surprise, because they dont know whats happening," the president told supporters at a rally Saturday night in Ohio, as he referred to Democrats.

Here's a closer look at the three variables.

Republicans control 53-47, which means Democrats need a net gain of four seats to win back the majority. But with one month to go until Election Day, Democrats are treading deeper and deeper into red territory as Republicans stay mostly on defense.

The latest Fox News polls indicate margin of error races in Michigan, a must hold for the Democrats, and in Texas, Maine and Iowa, three seats the party is working to flip to win the majority. An average of the latest surveys also points to very close contests in Alaska, Ohio, and Kansas, where the Democrats are playing offense, and Minnesota, a leading flip opportunity for the GOP.

But what if the polls are off?

"Polls considerably underestimated Donald Trump and other Republicans on the ticket with him in 2016, 2020, and, to a slightly lesser extent, in 2024," polling guru, political analyst and statistician Nate Silver noted this past weekend.

But Silver added that polls in the previous two Trump-era midterms, 2018 and 2022, were essentially unbiased.

Fast-forward to this cycle, and polls in some high-profile Democratic primaries were off the mark. Among the miscues this summer, overestimating Abdul El-Sayed's narrow victory in Michigan's Senate showdown, and underestimating victories by Lt. Gov Peggy Flanagan in Minnesota's Senate primary, state Rep. Angie Nixon's win in Florida's Senate contest, and Milwaukee County Executive David Crowley's upset victory to capture the Wisconsin gubernatorial nomination.

Coverage of the miscues grabbed widespread media attention and sparked fresh criticism of public opinion polling.

If the surveys are overestimating Democratic turnout and underestimating Republican enthusiasm, even a modest polling miss could reshape several of the close Senate contests.

"I don't think any Democrat is over