US Midterm Elections: Can Democrats Take Over Congress? Joel Rubin, former Deputy Assistant Secretary of State under Barack Obama: "Optimistic, but cautiously optimistic that we're going to do well, that we're going to flip a bunch of seats and take the House by a number that could go up to a dozen to 15 seats right now. The president is campaigning in very red districts, so that's a good sign for us. Senate: close, potential toss. There are a lot of purple seats in Alaska, North Carolina, even Ohio that you could call purple, that could tip our way if we get a little wave participation. There are good turnouts now, but I'm cautiously optimistic that we can get to 50-50. Maybe one plus, maybe one minus, but I feel very good about the house. Don't miss our mid-term coverage on Shabbat on Going Underground.