Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) said on Sunday that he believes the Democrats have a “reasonable chance” to retain control of the upper chamber in the midterm elections.
During an appearance on ABC’s “This Week,” moderator George Stephanopoulos noted the legislative victories the Democrats have had over the summer, including the signing of the Inflation Reduction Act earlier this month.
“I think there is a reasonable chance that Democrats will retain control over the Senate,” Sanders told Stephanopoulos.
“I certainly hope we get more than 50 in the Senate that we got at least 52 so we can start going forward and protecting working people in a way we have not been able to do up to now,” he added.
Sanders said issues including abortion rights may drive voters to support Democrats in November.
His comments come after the Supreme Court earlier this year struck down Roe v. Wade, which gave the constitutional right to abortion to women, leading the way for multiple GOP-led states to implement their own abortion bans and restrictions on the matter.
“I think that the American people are saying, ‘Excuse me, in America in the year 2022 women will make that decision,’ ” Sanders told Stephanopoulos “And I think that decision is going to reverberate very poorly for Republicans who think that women do not have a right to control their own bodies.”
Vice President Harris has cast multiple tiebreaking votes in the Senate, which is now evenly split between Democrats and Republicans.