Incumbent Democrat senators in red states will likely face an uphill battle, while several retirements leave some seats ripe for flipping.
Next year’s competition for control of the U.S. Senate will be a critical battle as Democrats defend more seats than Republicans.
The Democrats currently control the upper chamber by the slimmest of margins, 51–49.
Whoever wins the Senate will control the legislation before the floor, as well as accept or reject judicial and executive nominees, who help shape policy.
Democrat strategist Mark Mellman predicts the Democrats could keep the Senate if the GOP puts up the same candidates that lost in crucial races in 2022. But, he told The Epoch Times, things are up in the air until the primaries are over.
The following, Arizona, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Montana, Nevada, West Virginia, Michigan, Wisconsin, and New Jersey are the nine crucial races that could determine who will take control of the Senate come Jan. 3, 2025.
1. Arizona
In this swing state, it could ultimately be a three-way race between incumbent independent Sen. Kyrsten Sinema, Democrat Rep. Reuben Gallego, and former journalist and failed 2022 GOP gubernatorial nominee Kari Lake, who has been endorsed by former President Donald Trump.
Other Republicans in the primary include Pinal County Sheriff Mark Lamb, business consultant George Nicholson, and mechanical engineer Brian Wright.
President Joe Biden won The Grand Canyon state by just 0.3 percentage points in the 2020 election.
Ms. Lake is dominating the GOP primary, according to polling averages by RealClearPolitics.
However, most polls show both Ms. Lake and Mr. Lamb losing out in the general election to Mr. Gallego—who has been in the House since 2015. Ms. Sinema, the incumbent, is polling below 20 percent. The former Democrat switched her affiliation to independent in December 2022.
“I have joined the growing numbers of Arizonans who reject party politics by declaring my independence from the broken partisan system in Washington and formally registering as an Arizona Independent,” Ms. Sinema stated in a post on Twitter at the time.
2. Ohio
While Republicans have won Ohio in the past three of five presidential elections, incumbent Democrat Sen. Sherrod Brown won re-election in 2018, at the same time the GOP expanded its majority in the Senate.
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