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Polls show Democrats leading or tied in key Senate races before the midterms

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Coverage spectrum

Covered by 4 outlets across the spectrum.

7 articles in total, 3 of them opinion. The spectrum counts each outlet once and leaves opinion out. How we measure bias

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A New York Times/Siena University poll released Sunday shows Democrats ahead of or tied with Republicans in several key Senate races before Tuesday's election. The Hill reports Democrats hold an 11-point lead in the Michigan race and says most of the seven competitive races show statistical ties. The Times reports Democrats lead in most of the seven tossup races, though some remain close. The Washington Examiner reports that likely voters who decided only recently favored Republicans by nine points, despite an overall Democratic advantage. ABC News says the poll shows Democrats gaining ground and slightly pulling ahead in key Senate races.

Headline and summary written by Mantle’s AI from the coverage below, under published rules. How this works

What happened

Key points

Each point shows who reports it, from Far Left to Far Right.

  1. A New York Times/Siena University poll released Sunday shows Democrats ahead of or tied with Republicans in key Senate races.

    Reported byLeft2Center1Right1See the outletsHide the outlets
    Left
    The New York Times, ABC News
    Center
    The Hill
    Right
    Washington Examiner
  2. Democrats lead in most of the seven tossup Senate races, though some contests remain close, according to the poll.

    One side only: the leftReported byLeft2See the outletsHide the outlets
    Left
    The New York Times, ABC News
  3. The poll shows a Democratic lead of 11 points in the Michigan Senate race.

    One outletThe Hill· Center

  4. Most of the seven competitive Senate races show statistical ties between the parties, according to the poll.

    One outletThe Hill· Center

  5. Likely voters who decided only in the last month favored Republicans by nine points, according to the poll.

    One outletWashington Examiner· Right

How each side tells it

Compare views

Every side reports that a New York Times/Siena poll shows Democrats leading or tied in key Senate races before Tuesday’s vote. The left and center stress Democratic leads and statistical ties, while the right stresses that late-deciding voters favored Republicans by nine points.

  • the left

    2 outlets

    Headlines stress Democratic strength and momentum, such as a blue surge and gaining ground, while opinion headlines question whether the polls can be trusted.

    WATCH: A look at the state of the midterm races
    ABC NewsLeftAll left-leaning headlines
  • the center

    1 outlet

    The Hill headline reports Democrats edging out Republicans in seven races and notes that most show statistical ties, a measured reading of the lead.

    Democrats edge out Republicans in 7 heated Senate races: NYT polls
    The HillCenterAll center headlines
  • the right

    1 outlet

    The Washington Examiner headline leads with the nine-point edge for Republicans among late deciders, framing the overall Democratic lead as qualified.

    Late deciders favor Republicans in key Senate races by nine-point margin despite strong Democratic lead: Poll
    Washington ExaminerRightAll right-leaning headlines

The words they chose

Language to notice

Words that carry a judgement beyond the facts. Tap a highlighted word anywhere on the page to see why.

  • Left1

    Blue Surge

  • Center0

    No loaded words in its own voice.

  • Right0

    No loaded words in its own voice.

In the outlets’ own words

  • Sensational language

    Blue SurgeMore neutral: Democratic gains in final polls

    A color label and dramatic noun describe a poll lead in a way that adds emphasis beyond the figures.

    The Final Polls Show a Blue Surge.

    Used byThe New York Times (Left)

See the full language guide

See for yourself

Side by side

What each side leads with and what it leaves out. Open a side to read its headlines.

From the left

2 outlets

Leads with

  • Democratic leads in key Senate races
  • Democrats gaining ground
  • New York Times/Siena polling

Leaves out

  • Late-deciding voters favoring Republicans by nine points

Reported by other sides, not found in this side’s coverage.

See the 2 headlines from the leftHide the headlines

From the center

1 outlet

Leads with

  • Democrats edging out Republicans in seven races
  • Statistical ties in most races
See the headline from the centerHide the headlines
  • The HillCenter

    Democrats edge out Republicans in 7 heated Senate races: NYT polls

    Democrats are edging out their Republican counterparts in seven competitive Senate races ahead of Tuesday’s election, though the majority of them show statistical ties between the two parties, according to new polling. …

From the right

1 outlet

Leads with

  • Late-deciding voters favoring Republicans
  • Nine-point margin for Republicans
  • Overall Democratic advantage
See the headline from the rightHide the headlines
  • Late deciders favor Republicans in key Senate races by nine-point margin despite strong Democratic lead: Poll

    Likely voters who decided which candidate to support only recently in seven key Senate races favor Republicans despite an overall Democratic advantage, according to a new poll released Sunday night. …

The stories you read build My Mix, a private picture of which sides cover the stories you choose, kept on this device. What is My Mix?

The left is Far Left and Left together. The right is Right and Far Right together. Every outlet keeps its own five-point rating.

Who reported it when

How the coverage built up

  • Left

    8 hr 45 min later

    Its first report, Nov 2, 6:48 AM EST

  • Center

    First to report

    The Hill, Nov 1, 10:03 PM EST

  • Right

    1 hr 36 min later

    Its first report, Nov 1, 11:40 PM EST

See the order the outlets reported inHide the order
  1. The HillCenterNov 1, 10:03 PM EST
  2. Washington ExaminerRightNov 1, 11:40 PM EST
  3. The New York TimesLeftNov 2, 6:48 AM EST
  4. ABC NewsLeftNov 2, 7:32 AM EST

Times are the ones the outlets published in their own feeds, in Eastern time. Opinion is left out.

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