Key races to watch in swing states for the 2024 Senate elections
The battle for Senate control in 2024 is primarily taking place in seats held by Democrats, who are defending their razor-slim 51-49 majority with President Joe Biden’s party.
Thirty-three of 100 seats in the upper chamber are up for regular elections in November, and one special election. Twenty seats are Democratic, 11 are held by Republicans, and three are held by independents.
The stakes are high for the Democrats and their uphill battle to maintain control of the Senate. It would require victories for all their incumbents, including successful campaigns for open seats in Arizona, Michigan, and Maryland and Biden's re-election. This would also enable Vice President Kamala Harris to cast tie-breaking votes in an evenly divided chamber.
By comparison, if the Republicans win the White House in November, they only need to win one more seat to regain the Senate majority.
A look at the top U.S. Senate races in five swing states, according to the Cook Political Report, in Arizona, Michigan, Nevada, Wisconsin and Pennsylvania
Arizona:
Senator Kyrsten Sinema's decision to retire has resulted in a fierce race to replace the Democrat-turned-independent in the Grand Canyon State, and candidates could not be more different, featuring Representative Ruben Gallego, a progressive and former TV news anchor Kari Lake, an election denier who has the backing of Trump's Make America Great Again movement. The primary, scheduled for July 30th, sees Gallego and Lake as leading contenders to represent their respective parties in the forthcoming open Senate race.
Michigan
Sen. Debbie Stabenow, D-Mich., is retiring at the end of her term, making a seat available. Rep. Elissa Slotkin, D-Mich., is the clear Democratic nominee. She's an ex-CIA analyst and won three tough House races in politically mixed central Michigan
Michigan’s Republican primary is an open field of candidates across the conservative spectrum: Libertarian and outspoken Trump critic former Rep. Justin Amash is running, as is former GOP Rep. Peter Meijer, who voted to impeach Trump after Jan. 6, 2021, and was defeated in the primary by a Trump-backed candidate in 2022.
But the clear frontrunner is Trump-endorsed former Rep. Mike Rogers, who served seven terms in the House and was the chair of the House Intelligence Committee.
More: Toss-up races and Democratic battlegrounds: Who will pick up control of the Senate in 2024?
Nevada
Incumbent Sen. Jacky Rosen, D-N.V., will fight to keep her seat for a second term against political newcomer Sam Brown, who tells the story of his Army service in Afghanistan in 2008, where he survived severe burns from a bomb.
Wisconsin
Wisconsin’s race pits two-term Sen. Tammy Baldwin, D-Wisc., against businessman Eric Hovde. Hovde's wealth brings significant personal funding ability, but his ties to California may make him vulnerable to Democratic attacks.
Pennsylvania
And Sen. Bob Casey, D-Penn., will defend his seat after three terms in the upper chamber. The Democrat is expected to benefit from widespread name recognition, especially as his father, with the same name, was the state’s former governor. He’s up against hedge fund executive David McCormick, who ran against Mehmet Oz in 2022.
Riley Beggin contributed to the reporting of this story.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: 2024 senatorial elections in key states could change US Senate control