Senator Lindsey Graham has admitted he thinks Democrats 'have a good chance of winning the White House', days after Senator Ted Cruz said there could be a 'Democratic sweep' in the upcoming election.
The Senate Judiciary Committee Chair made the shock admission Wednesday during Supreme Court confirmation hearings for Judge Amy Coney Barrett.
His comments show signs of a growing lack of confidence within the Republican party that Donald Trump can secure another term, less than three weeks before election day on November 3.
It comes as Cruz, a staunch supporter of the president, last week voiced his fears that Trump would lose to Democratic rival Joe Biden because 'the hard left is showing up no matter what'.
'Y'all have a good chance of winning the White House. I don't know where the polls are going to be,' Graham told Democrats during Wednesday's hearing.
Democratic Minnesota Senator Amy Klobuchar jumped on his surprise comment saying: 'Thank you for acknowledging that.'
Graham reinforced his statement saying: 'Yeah. I think it's true.'
Graham - along with other Republicans - is trying to push through Barrett's confirmation before the election so as to secure another conservative seat on the Supreme Court following the death of Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg.
The rush to appoint Barrett before the election suggests fears in the party that Democrats could take the White House and would then appoint a liberal judge to replace Ginsburg if the seat remains vacant.
Graham's concerns echoed those of Texas Senator Cruz who said the 2020 election has the most wide variety of potential outcomes he's ever seen in an interview with NBC's 'Meet the Press' Sunday morning.
Cruz cast doubt on Trump winning another term, saying the result comes down to voter turnout and warning that Republicans may not show up to vote in the same capacity as Democrats.
'There's an incredible volatility in politics right now. The delta between possible outcomes is as wide as I've ever seen it,' he said.
He added: 'I think this is a turnout election.
'I think the hard left is showing up no matter what. They hate the president.
'And the big open question is: Does everybody else show up? I hope that they do.'
Cruz didn't rule out a Trump victory but said it was 'possible we see a Democratic sweep where they win everything and it's a victory of Watergate proportions.'
He added: 'I don't recall an election in my life with the spread – the delta – between those two possible outcomes this close to an election being that wide.'
Veteran Republican pollster Whit Ayres also said he was 'struggling' to see how Trump could win.
'It's not good for my side,' Ayres told the Associated Press this week.
'Pretty obviously, in many ways down-ballot Republicans are in the boat with Donald Trump. That's good for Republicans in deep-red states, but more problematic for those in swing states.'
Trump is currently trailing Democrat candidate Joe Biden in all key swing states, including North Carolina, according to the most recent polls.
The NPR/PBS NewsHour/Marist poll revealed Biden has now taken a double-digit lead over Trump, leading 54 percent to 43 percent among likely voters.
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