Republicans are optimistic about taking control of the Senate in 2025 as the party seeks to pick up vulnerable Democratic seats.
If Republicans regain control of the Senate on Nov. 5, two candidate recruitment decisions made by Sen. Steve Daines (R-Mont.) early in the 2024 campaign will have likely proved significant.
Those decisions were to put the money and campaign expertise of the National Republican Senatorial Committee (NRSC), of which Mr. Daines is chairman, behind GOP political newcomer Tim Sheehy against Democratic incumbent Sen. Jon Tester in Montana and Republican Gov. Jim Justice for the West Virginia seat being vacated by Sen. Joe Manchin (D-W.Va.)
The importance of each such decision is magnified in a campaign year like 2024.
Only one flipped seat is needed to move the Senate from its present Democratic majority into a 50–50 split. Two flips put Republicans in the majority with a 51–49 advantage.
This year seems to favor Republicans to pull that off, with only 10 GOP seats to defend and 23 Democratic seats up for election (which includes three Independents who caucus with Democrats). A special election is scheduled for two extra seats—one to fill the last two years Sen. Ben Sasse’s (R-Neb.) seat and one to fill the late Sen. Dianne Feinstein’s (D-Calif.) seat.
Most incumbents in both parties are heavily favored to win re-election in November, but two Republican and five Democrat senators are retiring, leaving their seats open, as well as Arizona’s Sen. Krysten Sinema, who switched to independent last year.
“We’ve put together an all-star recruiting class on the field, now we need to finish the job in November,” Mr. Daines told The Epoch Times.
Mr. Daines made recruiting Mr. Sheehy, a successful firefighting industry entrepreneur and former Navy Seal combat veteran, one of his priorities when he took over at the NRSC in 2023, according to officials there.
He was also instrumental in securing former President Donald Trump’s endorsement for Mr. Sheehy, thus avoiding what could have been a divisive party primary.
The Montana race has already produced something unseen in Mr. Tester’s three previous Senate wins: He trailed Mr. Sheehy by three points in the latest Montana poll by J.L. Partners of 503 likely voters, with seven percent undecided.
