a legitimate shot

[Bombist]

Hello!

Could you please help me understand what the phrase in bold mean?

Republicans are expected to maintain their grip on the House and have a legitimate shot at grabbing the majority in the Senate.

By Philip Elliott

Do Republicans want to hold their majority in the Senate?

 

[Florentia52]

They don't have a majority in the Senate. The writer believes they have a respectable chance of getting a Senate majority in the next election.

 

[Bombist]

The Green Bay Packers have a legitimate shot at the NFC North crown

The Green Bay Packers won the game. What does "a legitimate shot" mean in these two different sentences?

 

[Edinburgher]

The sentence is poorly designed, because to someone who is not au fait with the present political state of play, the first half, about "maintaining their grip", does suggest that they have a majority that they will probably hold on to. The second half, of course, contradicts this, because as Flo says, 'shot' means 'chance' and 'grab' means 'acquire'. We must therefore interpret their "grip" as meaning that, although they don't have an overall majority, they can still achieve a majority on individual issues when a handful of senators vote against the party line.

 

[Edinburgher]

What does "a legitimate shot" mean in these two different sentences?

The same thing. A fair chance.
By winning the game, they are one step closer to winning the North crown. Perhaps if they had lost the game, that would have ended their dream of getting the crown.

 

[Bombist]

It seems I've got the meaning of "a legitimate shot". It amounts to "a fair chance", "a respectable chance".

Thank you very much for the explanations!

 

[RM1(SS)]

The sentence is poorly designed, because to someone who is not au fait with the present political state of play, the first half, about "maintaining their grip", does suggest that they have a majority that they will probably hold on to. The second half, of course, contradicts this, because as Flo says, 'shot' means 'chance' and 'grab' means 'acquire'. We must therefore interpret their "grip" as meaning that, although they don't have an overall majority, they can still achieve a majority on individual issues when a handful of senators vote against the party line.

No contradiction at all, because it is speaking of two different things: Republicans are expected to maintain their grip on the House and have a legitimate shot at grabbing the majority in the Senate.

 

[Edinburgher]

Oops. Well spotted, RM1. I thought the House was the Senate (as, no doubt, did the OP).

The House is the House of Representatives, and the Republicans do have a majority there. They are expected to keep that majority and are also hoping to gain a majority in that other place.