Democrats will be on the defensive in 2024 in an attempt to maintain or extend their slim lead of one seat in the Senate, but recent funding filings show candidates in major states have amassed sizable war chests. It is shown. defeated potential Republican opponents for the summer.

The race this season is expected to be fought almost entirely for seats held by Democrats or Democratic independents. Republicans hold just 11 of the 34 seats in next fall’s election, while Democrats hold 20. The remaining three seats are held by Democrats and caucus independents.

Senate Democrats in Montana, Ohio, Pennsylvania, West Virginia, and Wisconsin are all states that endorse former President Donald Trump or are in President Joe Biden’s column by about 1%. He is expected to face off against a well-funded Republican challenger. In Arizona, independent Kirsten Cinema has left the Democratic Party, but has not said if she plans to run for re-election in a state where Biden won by over 10,000 votes.

Arizona

Her future remains uncertain, but cinema has raised just under $1.7 million to increase her coffers to $10.8 million. If she runs again, she could face challengers from both sides, with Democrats and pro-Trump sheriffs already raising money to run against her.

ever since enter the race in JanuaryArizona Rep. Ruben Gallego raised nearly $7 million, including $3.1 million in the second quarter, nearly double what cinema raised in the year. Gallego, who has already spent a lot of money in five months where he reaches $4.3 million, needs to keep pace with the fundraising. The fifth term, who ran with the clear intent to oust Cinema, whose centrist stance has frustrated Congress and his White House Democratic allies, has about $2.7 million in bank deposits. and more than three times fewer than incumbent senators.

So far, only one leading Republican candidate in the battleground state, Pinal County Sheriff Mark Lamb, has entered the race. Lam has achieved celebrity status on the American right through his loyalty to Trump and his hawkish prescriptions against illegal immigration. “It’s time to declare the drug cartels a terrorist organization and use force to wipe them out, just like we did to ISIS,” he said.in the the first ad of his campaign.

But since the April announcement, he’s made just $607,000 and had just $335,000 in cash at the end of the quarter.

Kari Lake, former TV news anchor turned gubernatorial candidate Said She is considering running for the Republican primary and will make a decision in the coming months. Her star on the right shines brighter than Lam’s, as she grew up embracing and pushing the conspiracies surrounding the COVID-19 pandemic and the 2020 presidential election. After losing to Democrat Katie Hobbs by 17,000 votes, she unsuccessfully filed a legal challenge to the results of the 2022 gubernatorial election based on a similar conspiracy.

Montana

In the red-hot state of Montana, Democratic Senator Jon Tester is seeking a fourth term to try to stop the disappearance, but it will require a lot of money to do so. The same Senator from Montana, Republican Steve Danes, was ordered by Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell to end his career as chairman of the National Republican Senate Committee, the election arm of the Senate. rice field.

After 3 months, testers $5 million, left $10.5 million for the campaign through the summer and fall. The only Republican candidate with significant financial backing prospects has yet to report any donations to the FEC, having started campaigning last month.

But Tim Sheehy, a former Navy SEAL and CEO of the Aviation Fire Company, will be backed by Danes and the NRSC. $30 million in the first six months of the year to help Republicans retake the Senate.

“Tim Sheehy is a decorated veteran, a successful businessman and a great Montaner,” Danes said. statement When Sheehy announced. “I couldn’t be happier that he decided to run for the Montana Senate.”

Right-wing Rep. Matt Rosendale, who lost to Tester in 2018, said: Said He is considering running and has been publicly endorsed by Senators Ted Cruz (R-Texas) and Mike Lee (R-Utah). In the 2018 election he $6 million Dear Tester $21.3 million.

“If we can avoid a controversial primary, that’s the best thing,” Danes said. CBS news last week.

Ohio

Ohio has long been seen as a battleground between the two parties, but Trump has won twice in the state, and Republicans have held the governorship for more than a decade and a seat in the Senate for more than two decades. Since Obama’s two wins in Ohio, the only Democrat to win statewide is progressive Senator Sherrod Brown, who first took office in 2007. In 2018, Mr. Brown secured his third term in the Senate with a victory of nearly 7 percentage points over Republicans.

In what could be the toughest election environment yet, Mr. Brown has raised money early and is paying off. $5 million In the second quarter, to keep his account healthy. As of June 30, he has $8.7 million.

Three prominent Republican legislators began a battle with Ohio’s Secretary of State Frank LaRose for a chance to counter Mr. Brown. start his campaign on monday.

“I am a Green Berets, a conservative, a man of faith, and I am not afraid to fight,” LaRose said in her book. Announcement video.

Larose will have to contend with an opponent with millions of dollars amassed and endorsements. State Senator Matt Dolan, whose family owns the Cleveland Guardians, Raised $308,000 And after having already loaned himself $3 million by then, he loaned the campaign $1 million in the second quarter.he spent almost $8 million His run for the 2022 Senate failed, and he finished third in the Republican primary with 23% of the vote.

Ohio junior senator J.D. Vance defeated Dolan in the primary and now supports rival car dealership owner Bernie Moreno, a right-wing party frontrunner and Trump frontrunner. .former president called moreno A “highly respected businessman” who “would not be easily defeated”.Raised by Moreno $2.3 million He has $1.5 million in the bank since announcing his candidacy in April.

Pennsylvania

After a disastrous 2022 election in which they lost both the Senate and gubernatorial races, the Pennsylvania Republican Party has yet to field a candidate to challenge Senator Bob Casey in 2024. But Casey isn’t going to take the chance.

Casey, who has held statewide positions since 1997, said: $4 million The past three months have been the best fundraising quarters on record, according to his campaign. His campaign also advertised that 75% of his donations were under $50. Election campaigns view large amounts of low-dollar donors as a key resource through which candidates can earn cash during the campaign.

“This fantastic fundraising quarter has shown Bob Casey to be one of the most formidable incumbents in the nation, and statewide support proves it,” said Tiernan, Casey’s campaign manager. Donahue said. statement.

Far-right Christian nationalist Senator Doug Mastriano In May, he said he would not run for the Senate. Former hedge fund executive David McCormick is reportedly considering rerunning after losing the 2022 Republican Senate primary by 1,000 votes to celebrity doctor Mehmet Oz.

“We’re looking for a candidate who can win the primary, but importantly the general election, and appeal to independent voters,” said Denes, a Montana Republican who will lead the party’s Senate campaign. . told Reuters last week. “David McCormick fits that profile perfectly.”

west virginia

In West Virginia, the reddest battlefield state on the Senate map, Democratic Senator Joe Manchin voted just below. $1.3 million Between April 1 and June 30, according to his latest filings with the Federal Election Commission.he still ruled out the possibility of a third party running for president Although he hasn’t formally launched a re-election campaign, Manchin has so far deposited $10 million in the bank to face Republican challengers in his home state if he wins re-election in the Senate.

Two Republicans vying for a chance to beat him, Governor Jim Justice and Congressman Alex Mooney, both have less than $1 million in their accounts. If Manchin runs, he’ll need all the money available in states where nearly 40% voted for Trump in 2020.

Wisconsin

Senator Tammy Baldwin, who still has no Republican opponent, has raised nearly $5.5 million this year, including: $3.3 million She was preparing for an election that Republicans consider to be their top priority for 2024.her campaign To tell This number is the highest in a Wisconsin senatorial race in a single quarter in the year before the election.

Wisconsin Congressman Mike Gallagher refused Republican leadership efforts to get him running, said in June He intended to remain in the House to focus on efforts to “counter the threat of the Chinese Communist Party.”

Congressman Tom Tiffany told Spectrum News In June, I was planning to decide to run by August.

Other Republican targets also include Nevada and Michigan, the latter of which has crowded constituencies holding both primaries to replace retired Democratic Senator Debbie Stavenow. NRSC Said He plans to “go aggressively” for a seat in Michigan, but he’s not far behind any candidate yet. Democrat Rep. Elissa Slotkin is the only candidate in both parties so far to have raised a lot of money, and that amount is just a little short. $3 million $3.7 million was banked in the last quarter.

In Nevada, NRSC show support For Retired U.S. Army Captain Sam Brown, who was disfigured in an explosion while serving in Afghanistan. Brown announced last week that he would seek to oust incumbent Democratic Senator Jackie Rosen. $2.7 million Over the past three months, it reportedly made nearly $7.5 million in summer and fall earnings.