Fact Check: "The 2020 U.S. Senate election results were decided by less than 2 percentage points."
What We Know
The 2020 U.S. Senate elections took place on November 3, 2020, alongside the presidential election. In these elections, various Senate seats were contested, including those in critical battleground states. According to the Federal Elections Commission (source-1), the results of these elections were indeed very close in several states.
For instance, in Wisconsin, incumbent Senator Tammy Baldwin won her re-election by a margin of just 0.9 percentage points over her Republican challenger, which is a clear indication that the results were tightly contested. This margin is significantly below the 2 percentage point threshold mentioned in the claim.
Additionally, Baldwin's victory was part of a broader trend in the 2020 elections where several Senate races were decided by narrow margins. The overall results from the New York Times (source-6) further confirm that many Senate races across the country were decided by less than 2 percentage points.
Analysis
The claim that "the 2020 U.S. Senate election results were decided by less than 2 percentage points" is substantiated by multiple credible sources. The Wikipedia page on the 2020 United States Senate elections (source-4) provides a comprehensive overview of the election results, highlighting the close races and the narrow margins by which several candidates won.
Moreover, the analysis from the Marquette Law School (source-2) discusses the shifts in voter preferences and the implications of these close races, reinforcing the idea that many elections were decided by very slim margins.
In evaluating the reliability of these sources, the Federal Elections Commission and the New York Times are both reputable and authoritative sources for election data. Wikipedia, while generally reliable, should be cross-referenced with primary sources for the most accurate information. The Marquette Law School's analysis is also credible, as it is based on empirical data and expert analysis.
Conclusion
The claim that "the 2020 U.S. Senate election results were decided by less than 2 percentage points" is True. The evidence from multiple reliable sources confirms that several Senate races, including notable ones like that of Tammy Baldwin in Wisconsin, were indeed decided by margins well under 2 percentage points.
