Many Democratic Senate candidates need to make it past tough primary battles before thinking about the general election. The New York Times reported on Democrats’ primary drama noting hand-picked establishment candidates are taking on rookies looking to make their premieres in the Senate.
In Illinois, the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee (DSCC) has endorsed Rep. Tammy Duckworth for Senate over Andrea Zopp, head of the Chicago Urban League. However, state and local parties have rejected the DSCC’s decision, refusing to endorse Duckworth over Zopp. The NYT reported:
To topple Mr. Kirk, the Illinois senator, Democrats have largely lined up behind Ms. Duckworth, a disabled Iraq war veteran. But recently, Democrats in Cook County declined to endorse her after African-Americans criticized the national party’s early dismissal of Ms. Zopp.
Democrats are in utter disarray over who will be on the ballot in Illinois come November, and Florida Democrats face a similar problem. National Democrats are looking to take on local activists in the Senate primary by backing Rep. Patrick Murphy over Rep. Alan Grayson. NYT said of the race:
While some Democrats view their primaries as less consequential because they are in states that will not be very competitive in the general election, that may not be true in a state like Florida, where Mr. Grayson is to the left of many Democrats.
Pennsylvania’s primary has drama of its own. Joe Sestak is looking for a second try after losing to Senator Pat Toomey in 2010, but national Democrats were not excited about Sestak the first time he ran, so they’re also looking for a second try to muscle Sestak out of the race. Now, national Democrats have resorted to putting all their effort into Katie McGinty – who took last place in the Democratic gubernatorial primary race. The NYT said:
[Establishment Democrats] were not excited when Joe Sestak, who narrowly lost to Mr. Toomey in 2010, said he would try again; they have set their hopes on Katie McGinty, who has served under Democrats at the federal and state levels.
The NYT highlighted Senator Rob Portman’s great work in Ohio. While Democrats Ted Strickland and PG Sittenfeld are stuck in a primary dividing the state party, Sen. Portman is passing effective bills for workers:
In Ohio, Mr. Portman spent the August recess calling attention to bipartisan bills like his work force development legislation with Senator Michael Bennet, Democrat of Colorado. He is also meeting with union and steel workers to talk about his trade enforcement.
The article also weighed in on how Obama will affect these Senate races:
“One big uncertainty with this cycle is how this president leaves office,” said Nathan L. Gonzales, the editor of The Rothenberg & Gonzales Political Report, a nonpartisan newsletter. “Do voters want change or status quo, based on the last eight years?”
This is bad news for Democrats as Obama’s approval ratings is plummeting in light of his handling of the Iran deal. Gallup reported, "Only one in three Americans approve of President Barack Obama’s handling of the situation in Iran." Americans have overwhelmingly rejected the deal, which many Democratic Senate candidates have vowed to support despite its unpopularity. Other candidates like Catherine Cortez Masto and Katie McGinty have decided to avoid the Iran deal completely, actively evading questions regarding their stance on the deal.
Democrats have their fair share of obstacles to overcome, giving Republicans a huge advantage headed into 2016.