Democratic organizers are planning a significant push to unseat a handful of major Republican Senators in the 2024 election, according to a new report.
A total of 33 out of the 100 U.S. Senate seats will be on the ballot in 2024. The party breakdown of these seats is skewed considerably towards the Democrats, making it a vital election cycle for the party as it looks to hold onto its Senate majority. Of the seats set to be contested next year, 20 are currently held by Democrats, 10 by Republicans, and three independents who each caucus with or generally align with the Democratic Party.
Among the Republican Senators facing reelection next year are a handful of major figures in the party, and, according to a report from Politico, Democratic forces are planning a major push to unseat them, however unlikely the polling might currently be. Speaking to the outlet, Sarah Guggenheimer, a spokesperson for the Democrat-aligned Senate Majority political action committee (PAC), highlighted Senators Ted Cruz of Texas, Josh Hawley of Missouri, and Rick Scott of Florida as major targets that they will invest heavily in taking on.
Guggenheimer said that the three lawmakers have "have spent six years prioritizing their own ambitions and protecting their status as cartoon villains instead of doing their jobs." None of the states where these Senators hail from are considered viable battlegrounds for Democratic candidates, but the PAC hopes that the notoriety of the GOP trio will help bolster their chances.
Texas would be a particular challenge, as Democrats have not won a Senate race in the Lone Star State since Lloyd Bentsen won reelection there in 1988. Democrats see a glimmer of hope in the fact that Beto O'Rourke came within less than three points of defeating Cruz during his last reelection bid in 2018, suggesting to many that the feat is possible.
Significant resources are now being rallied behind Colin Allred, the former NFL linebacker and U.S. Representative for Texas's 32nd District. Allred is seeking the Democratic nomination for Cruz's Senate seat, and has out-fundraised the incumbent Republican in his three months as a candidate. According to Politico, it took O'Rourke's campaign nine months to raise the same amount Allred managed by the end of June, $6.2 million.
"If Beto had run a more disciplined race, he could have won," Senator Tim Kaine, a Virginia Democrat, said. "I'm sure Allred believes 'I'm the underdog in this.' But he doesn't need to go into it thinking, 'I'm just the mission of mercy candidate.'"
In a statement on the matter, Cruz said that he is taking the competition "seriously."
"We are taking the race intensely seriously," Cruz said. "[Senate Majority Leader] Schumer has been explicit that my race is his No. 1 Republican target this next cycle."
Democratic candidates have not won Senate races in Missouri or Florida since 2012 when the party overtook the GOP to secure a majority. In Missouri, incumbent Claire McCaskill defeated Republican Todd Akin by a strong margin, while in Florida, incumbent Bill Nelson defeated Republican Connie Mack IV. McCaskill and Nelson were both defeated in the 2018 midterms by Hawley and Scott, respectively.
Hawley and Scott each face a handful of Democrats vying for the party's nomination in their states, but both are solidly favored for reelection at this early stage.
Politico's report also noted that, while Cruz, Hawley, and Scott are tantalizing high-profile targets, Democrats are not hinging their plan to hold the Senate next year on defeating them.
Newsweek reached out to the offices of Cruz, Hawley, and Scott via email for comment.
