The political winds are firmly at Republicans’ backs, but Democrats continue to rely on a number of sitting senators, fueled by fundraising businesses, to keep the upper house. The latter stages of the race have also brought in some high-powered politicians to play as ringleaders, past and present, popping up across states in hopes of driving voters to the polls. After a tumultuous week of campaigning and for the last time this season, here are the seven Senate seats most likely to be flipped next week:

Nevada

(AP Photo) If Republicans are going to retake the Senate, a key first step would be to deny Sen. Catherine Cortez Masto (D-Nev.) her re-election bid against former state attorney general Adam Laxalt (R). For months, the race for the Battle Born State has been close, and that hasn’t changed. But some polls last week showed Laxalt opening up an advantage over the incumbent Democrat, with an Emerson College-The Hill poll showing the Republican by 5 percentage points. Those numbers make Republicans feel perhaps more confident about Nevada than any other battleground state. However, Democrats still believe a Cortez Masto victory is very much within reach. “It will be very close. Really, really tight. I think there’s some reason for optimism in the early voting numbers,” said a Democratic operative with ties to Nevada, noting that this is the first midterm contest where universal mail-in voting has been used in the state. “The steady drumbeat of grassroots events [and] The surrogates coming to Nevada have helped draw a lot of interest,” the agent continued, referring to former President Obama’s visit to Las Vegas on Tuesday. “There is still modest optimism that we can win. … This fight is not over.” A victory for Laxalt would likely mean a big night for the GOP in the state, as Republican gubernatorial candidate Joe Lombardo is running close in the polls in his push to unseat Nevada Gov. Steve Sisolak (D).

Pennsylvania

Pennsylvania Lt. Gov. John Fetterman, Democratic candidate for U.S. Senate, Oct. 8, 2022, in York, Pa., left, and Mehmet Oz, Republican candidate for U.S. Senate (AP Photo/Matt Rourke, File) Republican Mehmet Oz closed the gap between him and Lt. Gov. John Fetterman (R), but the contest remains close as the clock winds down on the primary. The situation has completely changed for Fetterman in recent months. After leading or tied in surveys dating back to the May primaries, many recent polls now show him trailing his Republican challenger. Accordingly, the RealClearPolitics average of polls for the first time Thursday has the former TV doctor ahead. The latest developments come a little more than a week after the lone campaign debate proved difficult for Fetterman, who struggled to string words and sentences together because of an auditory processing problem caused by the stroke he suffered in May. But political forecasters warn that this is still anyone’s race. “It’s close. There’s overwhelming evidence that it’s very close. Anyone who tells you they can clearly see that this is broken one way or the other is probably exaggerating. … A lot of currents are pushing against each other,” said Chris Borick, professor of political science at Muhlenberg College. The nature of the race has weighed heavily on both sides of the state in recent days. Oz campaigned alongside former President Trump in Latrobe, Pa., on Saturday, while President Biden and Obama rocked for Fetterman in Philadelphia (in addition to Obama’s appearance in Pittsburgh). While Republicans feel good about Oz’s chances, the governor’s race — featuring state Attorney General Josh Shapiro (D) and state Sen. Doug Mastriano (R) — could threaten the GOP nominee’s chances. Shapiro is the heavy favorite, and if his margin of victory over Mastriano reaches double digits, that could spell trouble for Oz. “He was a terrific candidate,” Rob Gleason, the former chairman of the Pennsylvania Republican Party, said of Mastriano. “He can’t raise money. If he gets 40 percent, that’s a win for Trump.”

Agriculture

Sen. Raphael Warnock, D-Ga., left, and Republican Senate candidate Herschel Walker (AP Photo) The nation’s preeminent contest on the 2022 map is doing exactly what everyone thought it would do: stirring up trouble on both sides, especially over the possibility that the winner of the race — and overall control of the Senate — won’t ultimately be known until the early December. The race between Sen. Raphael Warnock (D-Ga.) and Republican Herschel Walker is tight with just days to go. According to the latest RealClearPolitics average of polls, Walker leads Warnock by less than half a percentage point. But officials on both sides of the aisle expect Tuesday won’t be the final word on the matter, with a runoff scheduled for Dec. 6 the most likely scenario. If this happens, all bets are off. “A whole new ball game,” one GOP official involved in Senate races told The Hill. “Where the Senate majority is at the time is another factor. It’s really hard to predict with any certainty what the shape of that runoff will look like.” Another complicating factor for Republicans is that Gov. Brian Kemp (D) is likely to handily beat Democrat Stacey Abrams on Tuesday, providing a much-needed coattails for Walker in the Atlanta suburbs. In a runoff, however, Kemp wouldn’t be on the ballot, making things more thorny for the former University of Georgia star to return. But national Democrats say the race continues to cause them headaches. “The state we’re coming down to is Georgia,” Senate Majority Leader Charles Schumer (DN.Y.) told President Biden on the tarmac in Syracuse, New York, on October 27. “It’s hard to believe they’re going to Herschel Walker.”

New Hampshire

(AP Photo) If there is a Republican surge on Tuesday and the party secures Democratic-held seats beyond those in Nevada and Georgia, look for New Hampshire to be next in line. Republicans have toyed with the Granite State in recent months as they wondered whether Sen. Maggie Hassan (DN.H.) could be defeated without what the party viewed as a top recruit in the race, having lost out on convincing the governor. Chris Sununu (R) will start a bid. But Republican Don Bolduc narrowed the gap against her. The Senate Leadership Fund, a group run by allies of Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.), spent $16 million in the state from early September through Oct. 24, when the group canceled nearly $6 million in ads and redirected her to Pennsylvania. That left the Senate GOP campaign arm and others to fill some of the void. In short, Republicans see Pennsylvania (along with Georgia and Nevada) as critical, while New Hampshire would be the icing on the cake. For Democrats, it’s a must-win, but they remain confident. “Everything points to a close result, but Hasan has always been the leader of this race and she will win on Tuesday. Granite Staters take their elections seriously, and as Gov. Sununu said, Don Bolduc is a ‘conspiracy theorist’ who just can’t put together a winning coalition,” said a Democratic operative involved in Senate races. “If I’m wrong, we’re in for a long night and two tough years,” the agent added. According to the latest Emerson College survey, Hassan leads Bolduc by 4 percentage points. Crucially, he also leads with independent voters, taking 50% to just 40% for the GOP candidate.

Arizona

(AP Photo) For months, the question surrounding Arizona’s Senate race centered on how big a victory Sen. Mark Kelly (D-Ariz.) was going to get over Republican Blake Masters. Now it’s whether Kelly will just win at all. The change came after a late and bitter charge from Teachers and national Republicans brought him within striking distance of defeating Kelly, who is still considered the top Democrat on the Senate map this cycle. The Masters has seen a lot of things moving in his direction over the past month. Most notably, the national environment and the country’s economic situation are driving Republicans everywhere, chief among them. In addition to Arizona being one of the top states on the map, meaning GOP voters were likely to start heading home closer to Election Day, Masters is also the main beneficiary of the GOP surge Kari Lake in the governor’s race against state Secretary of State Katie. Hobbs (D). What matters to Masters and Republicans is Lake’s potential margin of victory. If it’s tight, Kelly advantage. But if it’s big enough, watch out. “If Kari Lake wins by 4 [percentage points], then it’s really hard for the Masters not to win. But I’m not sure what he’s really winning with,” said one GOP operative.
Adding to Masters’ momentum, Libertarian candidate Marc Victor dropped out earlier in the week and endorsed the GOP candidate, giving him a possible added boost. However, more than 1.3 million voters had returned their ballots as of Friday afternoon, limiting the potential impact of the maneuver.

Wisconsin

Sen. Ron Johnson, R-Wis., left, and Democratic Senate candidate and challenger Mandela Barnes (AP Photo/Morry Gash) Six years ago, Sen. Ron Johnson (R-Wis.) secured re-election by coming from behind in the final week of the race to capture what was…