Barely two weeks into 2023, the 2024 Senate campaigns are already underway.
Summary
Barely two weeks into 2023, the 2024 Senate campaigns are already underway as top Democrats jump into California’s Senate race and prominent Republicans are preparing Senate bids in West Virginia and Indiana.
- Even though Democratic Sen. Dianne Feinstein, 89, has not yet announced if she’s seeking a sixth full term representing California in the Senate, ambitious progressives are gearing up to run no matter what the oldest serving senator decides.
- Rep. Katie Porter, a darling of upscale white progressives, jumped in the race this week without waiting for Feinstein to make up her mind. Porter pulled in a $1.3 million fundraising haul in her first 24 hours in the race and earned the backing of Massachusetts Sen. Elizabeth Warren.
- Porter’s campaign is less than one week old, but she’s already come under fire for allegedly running a toxic workplace during her time in the House. Porter denied the allegations, only saying she is “willing to expect people to work hard.”
- Bay Area Congresswoman Barbara Lee is also preparing a Senate bid but is waiting to announce “out of respect for” Sen. Feinstein. Lee told House colleagues she plans to run in a closed-door meeting. Rep. Ro Khanna, the congressman for Silicon Valley, is also weighing a Senate run but may also be considering a campaign for president.
- On the Republican side, West Virginia Gov. Jim Justice announced he is seriously considering a bid for Senate against Democratic Sen. Joe Manchin. G.O.P. Rep. Alex Mooney has already announced a Senate bid against Manchin.
- Manchin and fellow red-state Democratic Sen. Jon Tester have not yet announced their reelection bids, which would be critical to Democratic hopes of retaining the Senate majority after the 2024 elections.
- One lingering question mark on the Senate map – who would be appointed to Nebraska Sen. Ben Sasse’s vacant seat after he resigned – was cleared up this week. Newly inaugurated Gov. Jim Pillen, a Republican, appointed his predecessor and most important political ally, former Gov. Pete Ricketts, to the vacancy. Ricketts will have to run in a 2024 special election and then again in 2026 for his first full term.
- The Club for Growth is trying to keep former Republican Gov. Mitch Daniels out of Indiana’s open Senate race, according to NBC News. The Club for Growth has already attacked Daniels on TV, even though he has not yet announced a campaign. G.O.P. Reps. Jim Banks and Victoria Spartz are also considering campaigns for the seat left open by Sen. Mike Braun’s decision to run for governor.
- CNN listed the other potential Democratic contenders for California’s Senate seat, including Republican bête noire Adam Schiff, Lt. Gov. Eleni Kounalakis, state attorney general Rob Bonta and Biden Cabinet secretary Xavier Becerra.
- Fox News reported the major left-leaning news networks – CNN, MSNBC, ABC, CBS, and NBC – have all ignored the allegations that Katie Porter ran a toxic workplace where she lambasted her staff with racist rhetoric and other forms of verbal abuse.
- A former Katie Porter staffer blasted the Orange County congresswoman in an interview with National Review. Sasha Georgiades, a former Wounded Warrior fellow on Porter’s staff, said Porter is “in it for herself” and is driven by a desire for fame and power, not public service.
- The Club for Growth’s attacks on Mitch Daniels may have backfired, according to the Washington Examiner. Mark Lubbers, a Daniels confidant, predicted the attacks would make him more likely to run: “It’s personal. It’s a gross distortion… in the last 15 years, no fewer than 25 Republican governors have modeled their service on Mitch Daniels. His conservative record is crystal clear.”
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© Dominic Moore, 2023
