Story thread · 2 reports / 2 sources

Scoop: "Delusional" Senate forecast rattles Sea Island retreat

axios.com · 5h · first reportShare

A pollster for Senate Republicans was met with disbelief on Saturday after telling GOP donors and operatives that they could grow their majority in November's midterm elections , sources tell Axios. Why it matters : "Delusional," one attendee at the National Republican Senatorial Committee's Sea Island retreat in Georgia told Axios after the presentation by the pollster, Erik Iverson. "The mood is not good," said another. "I think most attendees down here are politically astute and realistic about the headwinds Republicans face," said a third. A fourth attendee described conversations at the event as Republicans sarcastically telling each other "we're winning" and "everything's good." The Sea Island fall retreat is a major donor event for the NRSC each cycle, attracting big-dollar donors, senators and their senior staff. The details : Iverson, a former Montana Republican Party chair, suggested that Republicans could net gain one seat in the Senate after the midterms, but did not provid