Two pollsters say polls may overstate Democratic chances in Senate races, including Texas and Michigan

Two pollsters have said publicly that polls may be overstating Democratic prospects in this year's U.S. Senate contests. Patrick Ruffini of Echelon Insights told Politico he believes polling is overstating Democrats' chances of flipping Senate seats in historically deep-red territory, calling it a warning sign for polling and questioning whether a blue wave will materialize. Patrick Allocco told Newsmax on Monday that Republicans will win the closely contested Senate races in Texas and Michigan next month, even though polls show Democrats with narrow leads in those races.

Right-leaning coverage, in Newsmax, leads with Allocco's direct prediction of Republican wins in Texas and Michigan, citing him as the sole voice. Left-leaning coverage, in Politico, leads with Ruffini, described as a Republican pollster, and focuses on the reliability of polling and the limits of a possible Democratic wave in deep-red states. Both outlets rely on a single pollster interviewed for the piece and share the theme that polls may favor Democrats too much. Alternative / independent outlets had not reported this story at the time of writing, while left-leaning and right-leaning outlets had.