In a serious blow to Democratic hopes for winning a U.S. Senate majority, Minority Leader Harry Reid’s super PAC has yanked $3 million in television ads from the crucial contest in Ohio.

The Senate Majority PAC, the Reid-controlled super PAC devoted to electing Democrats to the Senate, reportedly pulled $3 million meant to boost Democrat former Gov. Ted Strickland in his race to unseat GOP Sen. Rob Portman.

“Our incumbents are well-positioned because they’ve listened to the voters and achieved results, even in a gridlocked Washington.”

Close

The decision to bail on Ohio comes only days after a poll by Public Policy Polling found Portman leading Strickland, 48 to 39.

The ad buy would have run for 20 days, in the crucial stretch between Sept. 20 and Oct. 10. The Democratic super PAC said it would spread the resources elsewhere.

The news confounds Democratic plans to win control of the Senate back after losing their majority in a near-sweep in 2014. The GOP now has a four-seat majority in the U.S. Senate.

[lz_jwplayer video= “hBYZ8MdR” ads=”true”]

If Hillary Clinton wins the White House, the Democrats need to grab four seats. If Trump wins, the Democrats need to pick off five seats currently held by Republicans.

The initial math is on the Democratic side this year. Republicans have to defend 24 seats. The Democrats are only defending 10 seats in the 100-seat chamber.

Reid has aggressively schemed for years to keep or win back Senate control, and has often outwitted his Republican colleagues.

An example of his scheming was seen this summer, when he and Sen. Chuck Schumer convinced Democrat Baron Hill to drop out of the Indiana race to replace retiring Sen. Dan Coats, a Republican. The Democrats then replaced Hill as nominee with Evan Bayh, a former senator who preceded Coats in the seat. Bayh brought with him $9 million in old campaign funds.

Who do you think would win the Presidency?

By completing the poll, you agree to receive emails from LifeZette, occasional offers from our partners and that you've read and agree to our privacy policy and legal statement.

But in a year when Democrats were hoping Donald Trump would hurt Senate candidates and cause a wave to return Democrats to majority status, many Republican candidates are proving resilient.

[lz_table title=”Ohio Senate Polls: Portman vs. Strickland” source=” RealClearPolitics”]Poll,Portman,Strickland
Aug. 27 Emerson,40%,25%
Aug. 21 Monmouth,48%,40%
Aug. 19 CBS News/YouGov,46%,39%
Aug. 7 Quinnipiac,49%,40%
Aug. 7 NBC/WSJ/Marist,48%,43%
[/lz_table]

Portman is likely the best example of this resiliency. He has run an aggressive grassroots campaign and his website lists 10 offices, from Toledo to Athens. And he has countered the Democratic ads with blistering critiques of Strickland’s record as governor.

Reid’s PAC has already spent $10 million on the Ohio race — only to see Portman rise steadily in the polls over the summer.

Incumbent GOP senators have found success running on “hyperlocal” issues, according to a report today in The Wall Street Journal. Portman, for example, has been promising to fight algae blooms in Lake Erie.

The Journal calls this “running for sheriff.” It has so far helped insulate Republicans in states where Hillary Clinton is competitive.

Lindsay Walters, spokeswoman for the Republican National Committee, said the strategy has actually been in place for at least two years, with the RNC working closely with the incumbents.

“The RNC has been in the field working on down-ballot races since the midterms,” Walters told LifeZette. “Our incumbents are well-positioned because they’ve listened to the voters and achieved results, even in a gridlocked Washington.”

In Florida, U.S. Sen. Marco Rubio is highlighting his battle against the Zika virus. Rubio would like to add $2 billion to the budget to combat the virus, which started showing up in Florida this year.

Rubio has been consistently ahead of Murphy since announcing his decision to seek re-election.

Like Portman, Rubio supports Donald Trump for president, but has kept his distance.

Walters said the Congress needs a GOP president.

“Congress needs a Republican president to partner with in the White House,” Walters said. “We are committed to protecting our Senate majority in addition to winning the White House.”

The work has been helping some embattled incumbents rise. Two of the most endangered GOP incumbents have clawed their way back to within the margin of error with their opponents.

In Pennsylvania, U.S. Sen. Pat Toomey is 1 point behind in the RealClearPolitics poll average, trailing Democrat Karen McGinty, 41 to 42. Toomey previously trailed McGinty by 7 points at the end of July, according to a Suffolk University poll.

[lz_related_box id=”192918″]

In New Hampshire, U.S. Sen. Kelly Ayotte is also only 1 point behind her Democratic challenger, Gov. Maggie Hassan. The RealClearPolitics average there is 44 to 45. Like Toomey, Ayotte hit rock bottom at the end of July. A poll from WBUR/MassINC showed the New Hampshire senator down 10 points to Hassan.

But perhaps the most surprising recovery has been staged by Wisconsin Sen. Ron Johnson.

Johnson is down 10 points in the RealClearPolitics average of polls, but a Marquette University poll released Aug. 31 showed Democrat former Sen. Russ Feingold’s lead shrunk to just 3 points.

The poll found Feingold leading Johnson, 48 to 45, among likely voters.

The Democratic plans to take back the Senate begin with picking off Johnson and doomed Illinois Sen. Mark Kirk. If Johnson can keep his race close or even win on Nov. 8, the Democrats’ shot at a Senate majority is in dire straights.