Five Senate Democrats could retire ahead of America’s 2024 election, relinquishing their seats to fresh faces as Republicans try to gain control of the upper chamber.
Following the retirement announcements of two prominent Senate Democrats earlier this year, the question remains as to which other Senators will step aside and forego what could be a potentially bloody round of elections for the party as Democrats seek a majority of the seats up for grabs. to defend. next cycle.
Last month, Senator Dianne Feinstein, D-Calif., became the last Senator to announce she would not be seeking re-election in 2024, following in the footsteps of Senator Debbie Stabenow, D-Mich., who announced last month that she would be relinquishing her seat in relinquish the Senate when her term ends in 2025.
A total of 34 Senate seats — 20 currently held by Democrats, 11 currently held by Republicans, and 3 currently held by Independents — will be up for grabs next cycle. The three independent senators are currently negotiating with Senate Democrats, which means Democrats will need to defend 23 of the 34 seats in 2024 if they want to maintain their majority in the legislature.
THESE 4 SENATORS MOST LIKELY TO LOSE THEIR SEAT IN 2024
From left to right: Senator Bob Casey, D-Penn., Senator Tammy Baldwin, D-Wisc., Senator Joe Manchin, DW.Va., Senator Tom Carper, D-Del., and Senator Ben Cardin, D-Md. (Bastiaan Slabbers/NurPhoto, Sarah Silbiger/Bloomberg, Chip Somodevilla, Sean Gallup via Getty Images)
Of the 20 Democratic-held seats up for election, seven are in states won by former President Trump in 2016 or 2020. However, Republicans will not defend any seat in a state won by President Biden, unlike in the 2022 midterm elections, where the most competitive races were in states Biden won: Nevada, Pennsylvania, Georgia and Arizona.
West Virginia Democratic Senator Joe Manchin
Senator Joe Manchin, arguably the most vulnerable senator in 2024, has not yet announced his re-election intentions. Trump won West Virginia by a whopping 39 percentage points in the 2020 election, making the seat a prime target for Republicans.
Manchin played a vital role in pushing the Inflation Reduction Act through and could pay a political price for his alleged capitulation in a predominantly working-class state with the country’s second largest coal industry.
Representative Alex Mooney, the five-year congressman from West Virginia, announced his intention to run for the Senate seat just a week after the November 2022 midterm elections.
West Virginia Attorney General Patrick Morrisey has also been eyeing Manchin’s seat for some time, hinting that he was considering running again. After narrowly losing to Manchin in the 2018 state Senate race by just 3 percentage points, Morrisey said in November that he is “seriously evaluating” a gubernatorial run or a second bid for the senate in 2024.
Current West Virginia governor Jim Justice, a Republican, also told Fox News in January that he is “deeply interested” in pursuing a 2024 Senate bid for the seat, adding extra fuel to Manchin’s musings about whether or not to seek re-election.
Senator Joe Manchin, DW.Va., speaks with Bret Baier during “Special Report With Bret Baier” at the FOX News DC Bureau on September 13, 2022 in Washington, DC. (Leigh Vogel/Getty Images)
JOE MANCHIN ‘NOT RUNNING’ FOR PRESIDENT, CONSIDERS POLITICAL FUTURE AS POTENTIAL GOP CHALLENGERS LOOM
Democratic Senator Tammy Baldwin of Wisconsin
Senator Tammy Baldwin, who has been Wisconsin’s junior senator since 2013, has not stated whether she will seek re-election in the state won by Trump in 2016 by less than a percentage point.
According to Bloomberg, Baldwin said last month that she’s “planning an announcement later in the spring and working really hard.”
Following the 2022 state senate election, in which Senator Ron Johnson defeated Lieutenant Governor Mandela Barnes by just over 25,000 votes, Baldwin, should she seek re-election, would face a number of concerns from conservative voters in the state . stands.
Baldwin, the first openly gay senator in the United States, has gained respect from members of her own party in several ways, most notably through her work on the Affordable Care Act. In her last two senate elections, Baldwin won by unexpected margins. In 2012, she won by almost six percentage points. In 2018, she won by just over 10 points.
Johnson’s victory over Barnes boosted momentum in the state for both major political parties, and now the GOP is looking to build on that momentum in an effort to oust Baldwin, who previously served six years in the U.S. House .
Senator Tammy Baldwin, D-Wisc., speaking at the U.S. Capitol Building in Washington, DC, on December 8, 2022. (Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images)
Democratic Senator Bob Casey of Pennsylvania
Senator Bob Casey announced in January that he had been diagnosed with prostate cancer in December, casting doubt on whether he will be up for re-election in 2024 — though he has yet to announce his official decision.
Despite the diagnoses and concerns about how it could impact his congressional career, Casey, who has served in the Senate since 2007, underwent surgery for his prostate cancer last month and his office said no further treatment is needed.
Casey, the son of former Pennsylvania governor Robert Casey Sr., defeated his GOP challenger, Lou Barletta, in the 2018 state senate election by 13 points.
After losing Republican nominee Mehmet Oz in the 2022 state senate election to Democrat John Fetterman, Republicans are seeking redemption. David McCormick, a former hedge fund CEO who narrowly lost the GOP primaries to Oz, is considering a new run, according to a report from Bloomberg in November.
Former Pennsylvania GOP gubernatorial candidate Doug Mastriano is also considering running in the Keystone State Senate race, telling Politico this week that he is “praying” about a possible 2024 Senate run. Mastriano’s political ambitions, however, were rejected by Montana GOP Sen. Steve Daines, the chairman of the Senate National Republican Committee.
“We need someone who can win primaries and general elections. His last race has shown that he cannot win a general election,” said Daines of Mastriano, according to a reporter.
Senator Bob Casey, D-Pa., speaking at the “Time to Deliver” Home Care Workers rally and march on November 16, 2021 in Washington, DC. (Jemal Gravin/Getty Images for SEIU)
GOP ATTACKS VULNERABLE 2024 SENATE DEMOCRATS TO PUT MEDICARE, SOCIAL SECURITY ‘AT RISK’
Delaware Democratic Senator Tom Carper
Senator Tom Carper, the senior senator from Delaware, currently holds a seat that many see as a safe seat for the Democrats to retain control of in the 2024 election.
But that safety net doesn’t mean retirement is out of the question for Carper, a former military officer who has represented Delaware in the Senate since 2001.
While the 76-year-old Carper has not officially stated whether he will seek re-election in the next cycle, he recently said he is focused on “doing what I need to do so I can run for re-election and be successful,” according to Bloomberg.
Carper did not give a clear date when he would make a decision, according to the outlet, but said he will announce his intention “sometime this year.”
Senator Tom Carper, D-Del., speaking at Delaware State University in Dover, Delaware on October 21, 2022. (Oliver Contreras/AFP)
Democratic Senator Ben Cardin of Maryland
Senator Ben Cardin, who has represented Maryland in the Senate since 2007, is not yet sure if he will seek re-election in 2024.
Cardin’s seat, like Carper’s, is seen as another safe seat for Democrats in the next cycle. But whether Carper will hold onto it or pass it on to another aspiring candidate remains unclear.
A spokesman for the senator told Fox News Digital late last month that the 79-year-old Cardin “has indicated that the decision is likely to be announced this month.”
Senator Ben Cardin, D-Md., presides over a hearing on Capitol Hill on December 13, 2022 in Washington, DC. (Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)
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2024 Senate race ratings of the Cook political reportreleased in late January listed eight seats currently held by Democrats or independents as leaning Democrats or toss-ups.
The three seats rated as a “toss-up” between Democrats and Republicans in the 2024 election, according to the report, include those currently held by Independent Senator Kyrsten Sinema of Arizona, Democrat Senator Sherrod Brown of Ohio and Democrat Senator Joe of West Virginia. Manchin.
Sophia Slacik contributed to this article.
