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Article snippet: Democrat Doug Jones’s historic win in Alabama cuts the GOP’s lead in the Senate to 51-49, and gives the Democrats a narrow path to winning back the majority in the 2018 midterm elections. Democrats face a tough task retaking the Senate, as their party has to defend more than 20 seats while Republicans are only defending eight. But MORE’s low approval ratings and a backlash against Republicans from suburban voters, first seen in Virginia’s elections last month and now in Alabama, are good news for Democrats. Democrats will need to gain two seats, first by securing a win in Nevada, the only state MORE is retiring, has also long been seen as a potential pickup, while Democrats have a strong candidate for Tennessee’s open seat. The party is also more hopeful about taking out Sen. MORE (R) in Texas. The Lone Star State, long thought of as a GOP stronghold, could be attainable if anti-Trump sentiment mounts. “At the beginning of the year, for a variety of different reasons, I didn’t think reclaiming the majority was possible for Democrats,” said Jim Manley, former aide to former Senate Minority Leader MORE (D-Nev.). “But in the last couple of months, I think it’s become more doable. What happened in Alabama is just the icing on the cake,” he said. But while Alabama has Democrats optimistic about their chances of taking GOP seats, the party also has to protect its own incumbents. Trump won 10 states that are represented by Democrats up for reelection in 2018, carrying ... Link to the full article to read more