In 2022, Sen. Rick Scott—chair of the Republican Senate campaign effort—predicted his party would soar to as many as 55 seats after the midterm elections. Instead, Democrats gained a seat. Minority Leader Mitch McConnell is staying away from such predictions this time, Politico reports, saying his goal is to come through the November election with 51. "There's nothing wrong with getting more, but 51 gives you control," McConnell said. "And I think that's going to be really important, no matter who's elected president."
Although his party appears to have a shot at picking up Senate seats in several states, McConnell said he's focusing on four: Montana, Ohio, Pennsylvania, and Maryland. And he said he's stressing quality over quantity, after Donald Trump committed the party to underwhelming candidates who lost to Democrats in upsets. "It's important to not get too excited, because it's noteworthy that in the last cycle, not a single incumbent lost," he said. "So what's the message? Candidate quality." His Democratic counterpart, Sen. Chuck Schumer, suggested McConnell has a problem with the candidates recruited by Republicans, per Politico, calling them "lousy."
Republicans are betting heavily on wealthy outsiders who have never done this before to break the GOP's losing streak, including Ohio's Bernie Moreno, Montana's Tim Sheehy, Pennsylvania's Dave McCormick, and Wisconsin's Eric Hovde. "When you've never run for office before and you run high up for the Senate—and particularly if you've been a business leader where everyone says yes to you—you're a crappy candidate," Schumer said. "It will get worse for them." (More Election 2024 stories.)
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