WASHINGTON — Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer predicts Democrats will retain control of the Senate in the November elections and he feels “excited and satisfied” by the wave of enthusiasm for the vice president Kamala Harris on top of the party ticket.
Schumer, who played a crucial role in the private conversation with the president Joe Biden before the incumbent representative’s decision to end his re-election bid appears more optimistic than Democrats were about taking on a tough Senate map this election defending seats in states where the Republican candidate Donald Trump is popular.
“We are so excited about the prospects of winning the presidency, keeping the Senate and winning the House of Representatives,” Schumer, D-N.Y., said in an interview with The Associated Press.
He said the contrast with Republicans, especially in the wake of Trump questions Harris’ racial identity and criticized his running mate JD Vance women without childrenhas been striking.
“The best thing Donald Trump did since he won the nomination was pick Vance for the Democrats,” Schumer said of the Ohio senator.
What had been a bleak outlook for Senate Democrats has changed dramatically in the short time since Harris took control of the party. wave of enthusiasm, donors and volunteers to the Senate elections.
Republicans believe the Harris “honeymoon” will soon be over, diminishing Democrats’ chances of retaining the Senate. Republicans are working to portray the likely presidential candidate as a California liberal out of touch with voters.
“If you like San Francisco politics, you’re going to love Kamala Harris,” Sen. Steve Daines, R-Mont., the chairman of the National Republican Senatorial Committee, told the AP. Harris was San Francisco’s district attorney and California’s attorney general before serving in the Senate.
What has become clear in the nearly two weeks since Biden’s departure shook up the presidential election is that the lower ballot boxes are recalibrating and adjusting to the new political reality barely three months before the elections that will determine control of the presidency and Congress.
The Senate map favored Republicans this election cycle. Democrats, with a one-seat majority, have more seats to defend, particularly in Montana, Ohio and other parts of the country where Trump is popular.
It is almost certain that the Democrats will retain the West Virginia seat held by the retiring senator. Joe Manchinwho preferred to drop out rather than face popular Republican Jim Justice.
Republicans would need to win just one more Democratic seat to regain control, assuming they can hold on to seats where GOP incumbents are favored — in Texas, where Sen. Ted Cruz is running against Democratic Rep. Colin Allred, and in Florida, where Sen. Rick Scott is running against Democrat Debbie Mucarsel-Powell, a former congresswoman.
Daines sees ample opportunity for Republicans to make gains in as many as 10 states where seats are held by Democrats and races are expected to be tight, particularly in Montana and Ohio, where Sens. Jon Tester and Sherrod Brown, respectively, are the most threatened Democrats. In Maryland, Republicans recruited former Gov. Larry Hogan to an open seat, and he’s running against Democrat Angela Alsobrooks, who is vying to become one of the few black women serving in the Senate.
“The Democrats have to play a perfect game. We have to win one,” Daines said. “I think our chances are good.”
Schumer believes Senate Democrats are holding their own in their campaign on the policies and legislation Biden has pushed through, including investments in infrastructure and production centers, and while they are faced with Republican challengers connected to Trump and Vance.
With Harris in charge, Schumer sees an opportunity for Democrats to capitalize on the energy and enthusiasm of people signing up for the Senate campaign.
Schumer said he wasn’t necessarily surprised by the energy surrounding Harris’ rise, but acknowledged that events had unfolded at breakneck speed.
Schumer had privately visited Biden at the president’s beach house on a Saturday in mid-July, after Democratic senators raised concerns in their own private meeting with the president’s team following his debate performance against Trump.
Schumer said he felt obligated to speak directly to Biden, saying the two had a “very good meeting” and hugged at the end. He praised the work they had done with Biden in the White House. A week later, on the following Sunday, Biden had withdrawn from the race.