GOP Scrambles to Hold Senate ; Key Tennessee, Virginia Seats Competitive

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WASHINGTON - Republican Senate candidates have fought back to regain an edge in two key races, pivotal battlegrounds that could determine which party controls the Senate, according to a series of new McClatchy-MSNBC polls.

Republicans hold narrow leads in Tennessee and Virginia, two must- win states where the party hopes to build a Southern bulwark against a Democratic tide that's threatening its Senate seats elsewhere across the country.

The new polls show Democrats leading in two states they must hold - New Jersey and Washington - as well as in five states now held by Republicans: Missouri, Montana, Ohio, Pennsylvania and Rhode Island.

Yet even if …