Sabato: GOP could win it all in November

Larry Sabato, a longtime political analyst, has signed up with Politico as a columnist and his first piece predicts that the Republicans are lined up for a very good election year. Sabato, professor of politics and director of the University of Virginia Center for Politics, believes the GOP could win the Senate and take control of the entire Congress.
He assets that three factors are paramount in November: the president's approval ratings, the strength of the economy, and the election playing field. And those three factors seem to be pointing toward Republican gains in both houses in the 2014 midterms.

Here's a part of his reasoning:

"The Democrats lost their weaker members in 2010 and failed to add many seats in 2012; these disappointments protect them from drastic House losses this coming November.

Sabato

The Senate is a different story. There is no such thing as a typical Senate election. These high-profile contests are idiosyncratic, driven by distinctive circumstances, sometimes quirky candidates and massive spending. A hidden determinant is the division of the Senate into three classes—one-third is elected every two years, making the combination of competitive Senate seats unpredictable and ever shifting, unlike in the heavily gerrymandered House. One party is usually favored to gain seats from the outset, thanks to the pattern of retirements as well as the structure of the Senate class on the ballot.

Politico chart