WASHINGTON (AP) — Democrats seeking to maintain their Senate majority despite a difficult election cycle announced Thursday they will make a “multi-million dollar investment” in television advertising during races in Texas and Florida with the chairman of the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee He says he is “confident that more will follow.”
Senator Gary Peters, chairman of the DSCC, discussed the new spending during an appearance at the National Press Club. Peters declined to be more specific about the amount of money the committee will invest in the two Republican states, but emphasized that the investment will not come at the expense of Senator Jon Tester of Montana, who is considered the most vulnerable. Democratic incumbent candidate for office.
“You can’t imagine a world where I won’t be in it until the end of the race in Montana,” Peters said. “Jon Tester will have everything he needs to win.”
The Texas race features Republican Sen. Ted Cruz, who is seeking a third term against Rep. Colin Allred. Cruz won his last race by less than three percentage points and 51% of the vote. The Florida race features Sen. Rick Scott, who is seeking his second term against former Rep. Debbie Mucarsel-Powell. Scott won his race six years ago with 50% of the vote.
Democrats have a slim majority but are likely to lose a seat in West Virginia as Senator Joe Manchin retires. Republicans would only need to flip one more seat to capture the majority, and much of their focus is on Montana, which former President Donald Trump won by more than 16 percentage points four years ago. There, Republican Tim Sheehy hopes to oust Tester, who is completing his third term in the Senate.
Philip Letsou, a spokesman for the National Republican Senatorial Committee, responded to Peters’ announcement by saying it was “basically an admission by Chuck Schumer and the DSCC that Jon Tester, who is rated very poorly, appears to be a lost cause.”
He then criticized the two Democratic challengers, saying, “Allred and Mucarsel-Powell are a bad fit for Florida and Texas, and voters will reject them.”
Peters cited the narrow victories Cruz and Scott won six years ago in explaining the decision to go on the offensive in Republican states.
“Ted Cruz’s numbers are worse now than when he ran last time,” Peters said. “In Florida, Rick Scott has run several statewide races, and even with the wind at his back with a strong Republican year, he has never won by just a hair.”
Democrats also hope that a referendum on abortion in Florida will benefit the Democratic candidates on the ballot. Florida law currently bans most abortions after six weeks of pregnancy, before many women even know they are pregnant. If the ballot initiative, known as Amendment 4, is approved by 60% of voters, it would make abortions legal until the fetus is viable, as determined by the patient’s health care provider.
Peters said the data “definitely shows great momentum” for Democrats in Florida.
“We expect there to be many benefits, especially as people get to know our candidates better,” said Peters. “It’s quite powerful in terms of numbers, so we decided we need to start investing.”
