The Hill News

The Senate's second-ranking Republican suggested Monday night that he's not counting on the GOP regaining a majority in the Senate in this fall's elections.

Senate Minority Whip Jon Kyl (R-Ariz.) said that while Republicans would do their best to win the 10 seats necessary to regain a majority in the upper chamber, it just might be out of reach this cycle.

"I think we'll take the House of Representatives; I certainly hope so," he said on CNBC. "Now with those great Senate candidates you've mentioned being elected, we'll be very close to taking over the Senate."

But Kyl had caution for any Republicans feeling overly optimistic about the party's chances this fall.

"But I don't think any of us are actually predicting that we'll win both houses of the Congress," he said. "Now we're going to do our best to try and accomplish that."

Senate Republican leaders have been loath to predict too much about this fall's elections,! which take place six weeks from today. They have hinted at an underlying optimism in their election efforts, though. National Republican Senatorial Committee (NRSC) Chairman John Cornyn (Texas) wrote on Friday that the GOP was "within striking distance" of winning the majority, while Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) has predicted that Republicans would maintain control of the seats they! currently hold come November.

Still, Republicans ! have a s late of first-time or newcomer candidates that haven't been tested before in major elections. How well a number of these candidates -- who often unseated establishment-backed candidates with Tea Party backing in primaries -- fare this fall could make or break the GOP's chances at winning a majority.

Leaders in the party have always acknowledged that winning all 10 seats would require a virtual sweep, and while polls show them poised to make gains, there's little room for error. House Republicans are considerably more optimistic, with a number of projection services predicting the GOP of being within range of winning the 39 seats needed in the House.