U.S. Senate Democrats to prioritize Montana and Ohio seats
WASHINGTON — The chairman of the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee said Tuesday his top priority this November is defending incumbents in tough races — putting Jon Tester of Montana and Sherrod Brown of Ohio on the bench. First on the resource list.
U.S. Sen. Gary Peters, D-Mich., said he thinks Democrats also have some chance of picking up seats, though he stressed the outcome of those races is too early to predict.
“My first priority, frankly, is to get all the incumbents back in office,” Peters said. “But we also want to go on offense, and offense is going to be very important. Right now our focus is on Texas and Florida.
Peters said Democrats have seen positive trends in polls in both states over the past few weeks, which could increase the likelihood of them flipping from red to blue.
Texas Republican Sen. Ted Cruz faces Democratic Rep. Colin Allred, and Florida Republican Sen. Rick Scott is running against former Democratic Rep. Debbie Mucarsel-Powell.
Peters said continued increases in Democratic support in both states could affect the amount of money Democrats pour into those campaigns.
“When we make decisions about resources, we are playing to win,” he said. “When we see an opportunity like the one in Texas, we will invest accordingly.”
Cook Political Report by Amy Walter Rate Senate races in Michigan, Montana and Ohio are considered “close” contests, while Arizona, Nevada, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin are classified in the “Democratic leaning” category.
All seven seats are currently held by Democrats, making the map particularly challenging for Peters.
Florida and Texas fall into the “likely Republican” category, suggesting a Democratic win is a bit more likely but not completely out of reach.
In a panel interview with the Regional Journalists Association at DSCC headquarters in Washington, D.C., Peters said he believed the ranking of Republican Senate candidates ranged from “flawed to very flawed,” which could improve Democrats’ chances.
In Montana, defending Tester
Peters believes that in Montana, Republican candidate Tim Sheehy’s character is one of the reasons Tester has stayed within the margin of error in the vast majority of polls, despite voters favoring him by double-digit margins Republican presidential candidate.
“Shea has a long list of flaws,” Peters said. “That’s why people in Montana rejected him, even in a state that was going to vote heavily for Donald Trump.”
Peters said some of Sheehy’s problems stem from Calls himself ranch ownerDespite living on the “Dude Ranch” and own a companyThis is “losing all your money”.
Peters said Montana’s relatively small population means face-to-face conversations with voters and a candidate’s reputation could have a significant impact on the outcome of the race.
“Retail politics can have a huge impact,” Peter said. “Think about when Maine won with Susan Collins. It was because it was a small state. Retail politics matter. People knew Susan Collins.
Collins, a Republican, defeated her Democratic challenger in 2020 even though she was considered one of the most vulnerable senators of the year.
Tester said he has a similar connection with Montana voters, which could allow him to defeat Shea, who recently moved to the state.
“People in Montana know Jon Tester,” Peters said. “He’s a long-time Montana resident, a third-generation farmer. His roots are there. He’s had the opportunity to get to know a lot of people in Montana on a personal level. He can do more than I can in Michigan, which has a population of 10 million. States do this more efficiently.
said Sen. Steve Daines, R-Mont., who leads the National Republican Senatorial Committee In a group interview this summer Reporters with the RRA said his hometown is the best chance for the Republican Party to take over.
Just last week, Sabato’s Crystal Ball at the University of Virginia Center for Politics moved Montana from the to-be-elected category to “Lean Republican.”
“The result of this rating change is that 51 Senate seats are now rated safe, likely or leaning Republican,” the publication’s Kyle Kondik wrote, “so the move solidifies the Republican Party’s position as a Republican this year.” The clear favorite to flip control of the Senate in January.
Kondik later emphasized that “Montana is a challenging polling state and both parties are still heavily invested there.”
NRSC spokesperson Maggie Abboud issued a written statement shortly after the ratings change, criticizing Tester as unfit to represent Montana in the Senate.
“Jon Tester is a die-hard liberal who hates Donald Trump and votes for the Harris-Biden agenda 95 percent of the time,” Abboud wrote. “That’s why poll after poll shows him rapidly losing ground to Tim Sheehy. Montanans no longer believe Tester’s bland tactics.
Ohio State’s “Candidate Quality”
In Ohio, where Brown hopes to defeat Republican Bernie Moreno for re-election, the DSCC hopes to chase a shift toward the Republican Party based on “candidate quality.”
“The reason Sherrod was able to win statewide is because of who he is as a person, and that’s a big deal,” Peters said, noting that voters tend to view Senate races differently than presidential races.
Peters said Moreno is a flawed candidate and a liar.
“His story, of being an immigrant with no resources who came to Ohio to start a business, has been proven to be untrue. He actually comes from a family, one of the wealthiest families in Colombia,” Peters said. An article from the New York Times Moreno has refute.
Moreno also Sued by car dealership employee Peters said the lack of overtime pay was a “very stark contrast” to Brown, who has supported unions throughout his career.
He said the DSCC is “committing significant resources to Ohio” to help Brown win.
around the battlefield
Senate races in other battleground states are going down to the wire, with many Democrats expected to stay neck-and-neck with Republican challengers until the polls close.
Peters said this should come as no surprise to anyone who has followed the past few election cycles.
“Just because you have a really good candidate doesn’t mean you’re going to win,” he said. “In order to win, you also have to run a really good campaign, especially on the ground.”
That’s one reason the DSCC is investing significant resources to ensure voters can actually get to the polls this fall.
“Last cycle, for the first time in history, we spent more money on the ground than we did on the air to engage voters,” Peters said. “I think that’s a very important thing.”
The DSCC plans to follow the same strategy again this year, ensuring Democratic supporters in swing states can vote.
