Wasserman Schultz's 'Best' Election Day Prediction? 'We Have an Opportunity to Pick Up Seats'

Democratic National Committee chairwoman Debbie Wasserman Schultz (D-Fla.) said close races have her feeling better about the party’s prospects in this midterm election than in the Tea Party rout of four years ago.

“I think we are still really in a neck- and-neck situation in terms of whether or not we see pickups for Democrats or pickups for Republicans,” Wasserman Schultz told MSNBC this morning. “This is an election where, in every single competitive race, it’s coming down to the wire. Just an example, four years ago in 2010, the DCCC had cut loose a whole bunch of incumbents and there’s not a single incumbent Democrat that today you would predict would be losing.”

“And we’re doing well, because Republicans are so extreme,” she added.

The DNC leader cautiously said “the best thing” she could predict “is that we have an opportunity to pick up seats.”

“And beyond that, I wouldn’t make any other prediction.”

Wasserman Schultz said political observers need to be asking, “Why are Republicans doing so badly?”

“They’re do so badly in a second term midterm with a, you know, a Democratic president, where the president’s party loses, on average, 29 seats. And you know, there’s even a question mark whether the Republicans will pick up any seats at all,” she said.

“In fact, they could still lose seats, and that’s because they are extreme. They’ve put suing the president for doing his job at the top of agenda. They’ve put investigating Benghazi 13 times at the top of the agenda. And Democrats all across the country have put creating jobs, getting the economy turned around, fighting for the middle class by supporting an increase in the minimum wage. And so, that’s why the Republicans are not trending with history and why there’s still competitive races all over the country and Democrats are well-positioned, for governors, for the House and the Senate.”

Politico is predicting a loss of 10 seats for Democrats, with 14 toss-up races not included. Larry Sabato is predicting a “strong and increasing chance” for the GOP to gain control of the Senate, but a House map that “isn’t really expanding to a great degree.” The Washington Post is predicting a gain of 8 seats in the House for Republicans and seven seats in the Senate.

Wasserman Schultz framed the news for Democrats like so: “There’s not going to be historic gains in the House.”

“If you vote for Democrats, you are voting for candidates who are focused on creating jobs, getting the economy turned around and continuing to move us forward, creating more opportunities for people to succeed,” she said. “If you vote for a Republican, you’re voting for someone who has embraced that Tea Party agenda, who would double down on obstruction and who would stop us from moving forward.”