WASHINGTON (AP) — Democrats seeking to preserve their Senate majority amid a complex election cycle announced Thursday that they are making a “million-dollar investment” in television advertising in elections in Texas and Florida alongside Democratic Campaign Committee Chairman He is “very confident that there is more to come.”
Senator Gary Peters, chairman of the DSCC, discussed the modern editions during an appearance at the National Press Club. Peters declined to provide specifics on the amount of money the committee will invest in the two Republican-leaning states, but stressed that the investment will not come at the expense of Sen. Jon Tester of Montana, considered the most vulnerable state Democratic incumbent seeks office.
“There is no world in which I won’t be there until the end of the Montana race,” Peters said. “Jon Tester will have everything he needs to win.”
The Texas race pits Republican Sen. Ted Cruz, who is seeking a third term against Rep. Colin Allred. Cruz won his last race by less than three percentage points and 51% of the vote. The Florida race pits Sen. Rick Scott, who is seeking his second term, against former Rep. Debbie Mucarsel-Powell. Scott won his race six years ago with 50% of the vote.
Democrats have a slim majority but are likely to lose a seat in West Virginia after Sen. Joe Manchin retires. Republicans would only need to flip one seat to win the majority, and their focus is primarily on Montana, where former President Donald Trump won by more than 16 percentage points four years ago. There, Republican Tim Sheehy is hoping to unseat Tester, who is completing his third term in the Senate.
Philip Letsou, a spokesman for the National Republican Senatorial Committee, responded to Peters’ announcement by saying it was “basically an admission by Chuck Schumer and the DSCC that Jon Tester, who is doing very poorly in the polls, seems like a lost cause.” looks like.”
He continued to criticize the two Democratic challengers, saying, “Allred and Mucarsel-Powell are bad fits for Florida and Texas, and voters will reject them.”
In justifying the decision to go on the offensive in Republican-leaning states, Peters cited the narrow victories enjoyed by Cruz and Scott six years ago.
“Ted Cruz’s numbers are worse now than they were in his last race,” Peters said. “In Florida, Rick Scott has run in several statewide races, and even with tailwinds from a strong Republican year, he has never won by a hair of one point.”
Democrats also hope that a referendum on abortion in Florida will benefit Democratic candidates on the ballot. Florida law currently bans most abortions after six weeks of pregnancy, before many women even know they are pregnant. If approved by 60% of voters, the ballot initiative, known as Amendment 4, would ensure that abortions are legal until the fetus is viable, as determined by the patient’s health care provider.
Peters said the data “definitely shows a lot of momentum” for Democrats in Florida.
“We think there’s a lot of upside, especially as people get to know our candidates better,” Peters said. “It’s pretty meaningful given the numbers, so we decided to start investing.”
