WASHINGTON (AP) — Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer predicts Democrats will retain control of the Senate in November’s elections, and he is “pleased and delighted” by the high level of enthusiasm building with Vice President Kamala Harris at the helm of the party’s nomination.
Schumer played a central role in private talks with President Joe Biden before Biden decided to withdraw his re-election campaign. He appears more positive than Democrats about the tough Senate split in this election, which involves defending seats in states where Republican candidate Donald Trump is popular.
“We are so excited about the prospects of winning the presidency, keeping the Senate and winning the House,” Schumer, D-N.Y., said in an interview with The Associated Press.
He said the contrast with Republicans was striking, especially after Trump questioned Harris’ ethnic identity and his running mate JD Vance criticized women without children.
“The best thing Donald Trump has done since winning the nomination was to select Vance – for the Democrats,” Schumer said of the Ohio senator.
The initially bleak prospects for Senate Democrats have changed dramatically in the compact time since Harris took over the party leadership, bringing a wave of enthusiasm and numerous donors and volunteers to the race for Senate seats.
Republicans believe Harris’s “honeymoon” will soon be over, hurting Democrats’ chances of holding the Senate. Republicans are trying to portray the likely presidential nominee as a California liberal who has lost touch with voters.
“If you like San Francisco politics, you’re going to love Kamala Harris,” Sen. Steve Daines (R-Mont.), chairman of the National Republican Senatorial Committee, told AP. Harris served as San Francisco district attorney and California attorney general before entering the Senate.
What has become clear in the nearly two weeks since Biden’s departure shook up the presidency is that the races for the lower ranks are recalibrating and adapting to the recent political reality – just under three months before the election that will decide the status of the president and Congress.
The distribution of seats in the Senate has been in Republican favor this election cycle. The Democrats, with a one-seat majority, have more seats to defend, especially in Montana, Ohio and other parts of the country where Trump is popular.
It is almost certain that the Democrats will lose the West Virginia seat held by outgoing Senator Joe Manchin, who withdrew from the race to avoid running against popular Republican Jim Justice.
Republicans would need to win just one more Democratic-held seat to regain control – assuming they can hold on to seats in regions where incumbent Republicans have the advantage – in Texas, where Senator Ted Cruz is running against Democratic Representative Colin Allred, and in Florida, where Senator Rick Scott is running against Democrat Debbie Mucarsel-Powell, a former congresswoman.
Daines sees plenty of opportunity for Republicans to win votes in up to 10 states where Democrats have a majority and the races are likely to be close. This is especially true in Montana and Ohio, where Senators Jon Tester and Sherrod Brown are the most vulnerable Democrats. In Maryland, Republicans have tapped former Governor Larry Hogan for a vacant seat. He is running against Democrat Angela Alsobrooks, who is one of the few black women running in the Senate.
“The Democrats have to play a perfect game. We have to win one of them,” Daines said. “I’m happy with our chances.”
Schumer believes Democrats can hold their own in the Senate because they rely on the policies and legislation pushed by Biden, including investments in infrastructure and manufacturing centers, and because they face Republican challengers from Trump and Vance’s orbit.
With Harris leading the pack, Schumer sees an opportunity for Democrats to capitalize on the energy and enthusiasm as “people are running out the door” to volunteer for the Senate race.
Schumer said he was not necessarily surprised by the energy surrounding Harris’ rise, but acknowledged that the turn of events happened so quickly.
Schumer had visited Biden privately at his beach house on a Saturday in mid-July after Democratic senators expressed concerns about Biden’s performance in the debate against Trump at a private meeting with the president’s team.
Schumer said he felt compelled to speak directly with Biden and reported that the two had a “very good meeting” and hugged at the end. He praised the work they had done together with Biden in the White House. A week later, on the following Sunday, Biden had dropped out of the race.
