CHICAGO – The head of the Democratic U.S. Senate campaign exuded confidence Monday at a Politico event outside the Democratic National Convention, saying the party will emerge victorious in contested elections this cycle and retain control of the chamber with a victory in the presidential election.
U.S. Senator Gary Peters of Michigan, chairman of the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee, told Politico’s Jonathan Martin that incumbents Jon Tester in Montana and Sherrod Brown in Ohio would overcome partisan disadvantages in their states and win re-election on the strength of their individual brands.
“Jon Tester is as authentic a Montanan as you could imagine,” Peters said. “He understands the people of Montana. He’s in the community. Montana is a really big state geographically, but smaller in terms of population, and so he’s gotten to know a lot of people in a more personal way that allows you to transcend some of that.”
Tester’s opponent is Republican Tim Sheehy, an entrepreneur and former Navy SEAL.
The same goes for Brown in Ohio, Peters said.
“I’ve always said I don’t know if a Democrat can win Ohio unless his name is Sherrod Brown,” he said. “So I’m saying I have really good news for people in this election: I have a guy named Sherrod Brown running in Ohio.”
Republican businessman Bernie Moreno is challenging Brown.
Democrats cannot afford to make any mistakes in this Senate election cycle.
With the departure of Senator Joe Manchin III, an independent Democrat from West Virginia who is retiring rather than seeking re-election in the fall, and no Republican running for re-election in the states where there is serious competition, they will need to win the remaining contested races. In addition, Vice President Kamala Harris will need to prevail in the presidential race to retain control of the chamber.
In addition to Tester and Brown’s race, Democratic incumbents are up for re-election in Pennsylvania, Wisconsin and Nevada, while retirements have created open races in Michigan and Arizona. A win in all seven Senate races would give Democrats a 50-50 tie that could be broken by a Democratic vice presidential vote.
The races in Michigan, Montana and Ohio are rated “undecided” by the Cook Political Report with Amy Walter. The other four are rated “leaning Democratic,” meaning the Democratic candidate has a slight advantage.
Relationship with the Arab-American community
Peters said Harris should work to communicate with her state’s Arab-American voters about the war between Israel and Hamas.
With its approximately 200,000 Arab voters, Michigan is a unique state among swing states.
Many of these voters opposed President Joe Biden’s aborted re-election campaign, and Peters said they should now listen to the new Democratic frontrunner.
“She speaks to a lot of people who are very frustrated because people – not just this government, but in general – are not listening to them when it comes to what is happening in Gaza,” he said.
According to Peters, Harris made it clear that Israel has the right to defend itself against Hamas, “a terrible terrorist organization that has committed unspeakable atrocities.” However, she also showed consideration for the “innocent people who get caught in the crossfire.”
He said a ceasefire in the Middle East was necessary.
When asked directly whether Harris would differentiate her political views from those of Biden, Peter answered in the affirmative.
To win Michigan, it’s important to authentically convey her own message on the issue, Peters said.
“It shows that she has her own personality and thinks in her own way,” he said.
