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In a midterm election year in which the political climate and map of battleground states clearly favors Republicans, many GOP candidates are nevertheless embracing some Democratic priorities in an effort to win over skeptical voters.

The shift is evident in some of the most contentious Senate and gubernatorial races in traditional swing states as well as decidedly conservative ones such as Alaska and Arkansas where Republican nominees have endorsed increases to the minimum wage, legalizing medical marijuana or granting in-state college tuition to some illegal immigrants.

Even on social issues, an area where the GOP traditionally has hewed to the wishes of its evangelical Christian base, many Senate hopefuls have backed same-sex marriage or over-the-counter access to birth-control pills.

Buoyed by President Obamas deep unpopularity, the Republican Party is positioned to reclaim a national governing majority for the first time in nearly a decade by winning control of the Senate. But Republicans have little margin for error, and most key races remain tossups.

Thats in part because many of those same polls show that voters favor Democrats on several issues, including pocketbook economic concerns and womens reproductive health issues. This has led many Republican candidates to take steps some only in recent weeks to project a more moderate image and try to inoculate themselves from attacks portraying them as extremists.

To win, Republican candidates must offer common-sense ideas that demonstrate compassion and expand their support beyond base Republican voters, said Sen. Rob Portman (Ohio), who has played a major role this year raising money for and advising the GOPs top Senate recruits.

Mathematically, Republicans can take control of the Senate merely by winning in red states. Still, Portman said, even in those states, like Alaska, West Virginia, Montana, the reason our candidates are doing well is they have a broader appeal beyond just the Republican base. Independent voters are the plurality in most of these states.

Many Republican strategists see this as an even more critical imperative heading into the 2016 presidential campaign as well as that years Senate contests. Nine Republicans, including Portman, are up for reelection in 2016 in states that Obama won at least once.

This years move to the political middle will serve as a test for 2016. If these candidates lose, the partys conservative base is likely to blame it on their straying too far from orthodoxy. If they win, it could provide some evidence that the GOP can expand its coalition by reaching to the center.

In the face of sustained attacks from Democrats on issues of reproductive health, Republican Senate challengers in Colorado, North Carolina, Michigan, Minnesota and Virginia have said they support over-the-counter access to birth-control pills.

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In heated midterm contests, GOP candidates explore a move to the middle