Scoop: Senate Republicans fear Mississippi is in play

Senate Republicans are weighing three last-ditch spending moves that would have been unimaginable six months ago: a cash infusion for Mississippi and even more money for South Carolina and Kansas.

Why it matters: It's been 94 years since Kansas elected a Democratic senator, 44 years for Mississippi and 28 for South Carolina.

But panic is spreading through the Republican Party.

"The wall has broken.

The enemy is inside the fort," one national Republican political operative told Axios.

"We are now fighting hand to hand." The Senate map, which once looked impregnable for Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-S.D.), is now full of vulnerabilities.

Democratic challengers are polling within the margin of error in more than half a dozen deep-red states, according to internal GOP polls.

The other side: "We're nervous about Alaska.

We're nervous about Michigan.

We're still going to hold the Senate at the end," said another operative.

Zoom in: Two weeks ago, when Senate Leadership Fund decided to take out a $5 million "insurance policy" in South Carolina, operatives took a hard look at Idaho, South Dakota and Mississippi.

At the time, they concluded they didn't need to spend any money in those states, according to a person familiar with the matter.

But Senate Republicans are now reviewing the Mississippi race and may need to spend there to protect Sen.

Cindy Hyde-Smith from a surprisingly competitive bid by Democratic district attorney Scott Colom .