Democrats are encouraged that U.S. Senators in two battleground states announced reelection plans this week, but Republicans still have a more favorable map to regain power in the Senate next year.
Democratic Sen. Tammy Baldwin announced Wednesday that she would seek a third term, representing Wisconsin. Baldwin said she will continue to fight for working families, “not shady special interests or big corporations.”
Earlier this week in Pennsylvania, Democratic Sen. Bob Casey said he would also seek reelection. Casey is seeking a fourth term.
“There’s still more work to cut through the gridlock, stand up to powerful corporate special interests, and make the lives of hardworking Pennsylvanians a little bit easier,” Casey said in a statement.
No other candidates have announced yet in either of the two races. But in Pennsylvania, Republican Dave McCormick, a former hedge fund executive, is a potential candidate. He lost a tight GOP Senate primary last year to Dr. Mehmet Oz, who ultimately lost to Democratic Sen. John Fetterman.
Republican State Sen. Doug Mastriano, who ran unsuccessfully for governor, is also considering entering a GOP primary.
Democrats in Wisconsin and Pennsylvania have praised the announcements from Baldwin and Casey. They know Democrats will need to hold incumbent seats if they’re to have any chance of retaining a slim, 51-49 advantage in the Senate.
Senate Democrats will be defending 23 seats in 2024, compared to only 11 for Republicans. Ten of the GOP seats are in states where Republicans have been racking up large victory margins for decades.
Democrats, meanwhile, could be vulnerable in several states. Republican voters have carried Ohio, West Virginia and Montana in recent presidential races. Democratic Senate candidates are up for reelection in all of those states.
Still, the GOP has issues of its own to overcome, as Republicans seek to retake the Senate. Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell has made no secret of the fact that “candidate quality” hurt the GOP in the midterms, allowing Democrats to add to their slim advantage.
Candidates supported by former President Donald Trump won Republican primaries, only to lose in several states where McConnell felt they could have won — Arizona, New Hampshire and Georgia.
Some Pennsylvania Republicans are quietly hoping that Mastriano won’t seek the GOP Senate nomination, owing in part to his longtime stance that the 2020 election was stolen from Trump.
Establishment Republicans in Pennsylvania are hoping that McCormick will run, in the belief he would have a better chance of defeating Casey.
