Lorie Shaull from Washington, United States, CC BY-SA 2.0 https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0, via Wikimedia Commons
Chuck Schumer’s back is against the wall this election cycle.
He needs every break to go his way if hopes to hold onto the Senate majority.
And Chuck Schumer was sick when a vulnerable Democrat gave him this hard truth about 2024.
Vulnerable Senate Democrat warns his campaign is in big trouble
U.S. Senator Jon Tester (D-MT) is the most vulnerable Senate Democrat who’s up for re-election this cycle.
Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer’s (D-NY) hopes of holding on to his slim 51-49 majority are riding on his race.
But Tester’s campaign manager Shelbi Dantic wrote in a memo after the Montana Primary that the race would come down to the wire.
“As we enter the general election, it’s clear Montana’s U.S. Senate race will be the most competitive in the country in 2024,” Danti wrote.
Former Navy SEAL Tim Sheehy – who’s backed by former President Donald Trump – cruised to victory in the Republican Senate Primary, setting the stage for what could be the most important race outside the Presidency this year.
“Here’s the hard truth: This will be an expensive and close race,” Dantic stated.
More than $120 million on both sides have already been booked on ads for the Montana Senate race in a state that has a population of a little over one million people.
Sheehy predicted that the campaign is “going to be the most expensive race in American history per vote.”
“And like all of Jon’s races, Montana’s Senate election will likely be decided by just a few thousand votes,” Dantic added.
The Senate majority runs through Montana
Montana is a state that Trump easily carried in the 2016 and 2020 Elections.
Sheehy issued a statement after the Primary that put Tester on notice.
“I am humbled and honored by all the support and look forward to finally retiring the #1 recipient of lobbyist cash and pro-Biden liberal Jon Tester,” Sheehy said.
National Republican Senatorial Committee Chairman Steve Daines (R-MT) said the road to retaking the Senate runs through his state.
“The clearest path to a Republican Senate majority runs through Montana,” Daines said. “Tim Sheehy will deliver a Senate majority for President Trump, Jon Tester wants to deliver a Senate majority for Joe Biden. That is the choice in this election. President Trump is counting on Montana to elect Tim Sheehy.”
Tester is facing an uphill climb to hold onto his seat in an increasingly red state, where he’s the last Democrat elected to statewide office.
He plays up his roots as a third-generation Montana dirt farmer to deflect from the fact that he’s been a down-the-line vote for the Biden agenda.
Knowing he can’t win on the issues, Tester and his allies have tried to paint Sheehy as a wealthy out-of-state businessman.
But in a state that’s seen an influx of out-of-state residents, it’s questionable if those attacks will land.
Jon Tester won his previous three Senate races by narrow margins but this could finally be the year his luck runs out.
