Politics

Senate Dems’ Campaign Arm To Pour Millions Into Two Key Races That Could Determine Control Of Upper Chamber

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Senate Democrats’ campaign arm announced Monday it is set to spend tens of millions on reelecting Sens. Jon Tester of Montana and Sherrod Brown of Ohio as the party seeks to defend its slim majority in November.

The Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee (DSCC) will drop eight figures into ground game efforts in the two red states that went for former President Donald Trump in 2020 by large margins, according to a press release. The DSCC’s funding will go toward “field organizing,” “field  training programs to increase volunteer capacity,” “data and analytics,” “voting access and protection” and “building meaningful outreach to communities of color and specific constituencies.”

“The DSCC’s investments in sustained, effective grassroots organizing will lay the groundwork for our campaigns to win tough races,” DSCC Chair Gary Peters of Michigan said in a statement. “This election will determine the future of our country, and we look forward to joining with voters, volunteers and community leaders to defend Democrats’ Senate majority that is fighting for the priorities that matter most to hard working Americans.”

Both Tester and Brown’s seats are characterized by The Cook Political Report as in the “Toss Up” category for 2024, along with independent Sen. Kyrsten Sinema, who caucuses with the Democrats. Since Democratic Sen. Joe Manchin decided to retire, his seat was changed to “Solid R,” meaning Republicans only need to win one other seat in November to gain a majority.

Tester and Brown are in a tough position, as Trump is likely to be on the top of the ticket with President Joe Biden, who is not popular in either state. In 2020, Trump won Montana and Ohio by 16 and 8 points, respectively.

The Senate GOP’s campaign arm, the National Republican Senatorial Committee (NRCC), has recruited candidates in several red and battleground states for 2024, including former Navy SEAL Tim Sheehy for Montana. The NRCC is remaining neutral in the Ohio GOP primary, where several prominent Republicans are vying for the nomination to take on Brown.

Sheehy could face Republican Rep. Matt Rosendale of Montana in the primary, who is considering a second bid against Tester after losing by 3.5 points in 2018. Polling suggests Tester is vulnerable against both Republicans, according to FiveThirtyEight’s compilation, with the most recent survey finding the senator up by only 4 points against Sheehy.

Republican businessman Bernie Moreno, state Sen. Matt Dolan and Secretary of State Frank LaRose are all running in the GOP primary in Ohio. Polling for this race indicates Brown is more vulnerable against some Republicans more than others, according to FiveThirtyEight’s compilation, with the most recent survey finding the senator up by 11 points against Moreno, 5 points against LaRose and 3 points against Dolan.