The Democrat charged with overseeing his party’s efforts to maintain control of the Senate this year says Democrats are well positioned to not only hold their paper-thin majority in November but expand it.
Sen. Gary Peters (D-Mich.), who chairs the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee (DSCC), told The Hill’s editor-in-chief, Bob Cusack, during an event on electric and autonomous vehicles on Tuesday that he’s confident his party’s most vulnerable Senate incumbents will win reelection this year, effectively preserving the current 50-50 split in the the upper chamber.
But he also said he was bullish about Democrats’ offensive opportunities, pointing to Republican-held seats in Wisconsin and Pennsylvania as top targets.
“I feel very good about bringing back all the incumbents, so that gets us to 50. But, as you mentioned, I think we can go on the offense,” Peters said. “There are a number of states that look good. I’ll just mention two: We have both Wisconsin and Pennsylvania.”
“I’m confident on 50 and shooting for 52 or more,” he added.
The event, called “Driving Tomorrow: EVs & AVs,” was sponsored by General Motors and moderated by The Hill’s Steve Clemons.
To be sure, Democrats are facing an uphill battle in their bid to hold control of both chambers of Congress in this year’s midterm elections. Republicans need to net just one new seat in the Senate to retake the majority, and while they’re defending more seats than Democrats, many of them are considered relatively safe for the GOP.
Meanwhile, Democrats are working to bolster their incumbents in battlegrounds such as Georgia, Arizona, New Hampshire and Nevada.
Of course, Republicans still have a few challenges this year. In Wisconsin, Democrats are set to target Sen. Ron Johnson (R-Wis.) after President Biden carried the Badger State in 2020. Likewise, Sen. Pat Toomey’s (R) coming retirement has set off a fierce battle for his seat in Pennsylvania, another state Biden won in 2020.
Still, the headwinds Democrats are facing are apparent. Historically, the party in power loses ground in Congress in midterm elections. Biden’s approval ratings have also been sagging for months and are showing few signs of improving.
Peters, however, said that he believes voters will ultimately reward Democrats at the ballot box this year.
“Clearly the elections are about contrast,” he told The Hill. “And there’s going to be a clear contrast for the voters about where Democrats have been to help us get through the pandemic, have an infrastructure plan that rebuilds critical infrastructure, brings down costs for families on prescription drugs and other areas.”
But there are other issues that could pose a challenge for Democrats. Inflation, for instance, is the highest its been in 40 years, while gas prices have risen around the globe due to the coronavirus pandemic, disruptions to global supply and demand, and the recent ban on imports of Russian oil and gas amid that country’s invasion of Ukraine.
And before Democrats get the chance to take on either Johnson or the eventual GOP nominee in Pennsylvania, they’ll have to make it out of primaries of their own. Peters, however, said he wasn’t concerned about his party’s nominating contests, noting that the DSCC has no plans to get involved.
“I don’t see us getting involved,” he said. “There’s never never in politics, as you know. But my approach has always been if you have good solid candidates running who have the ability to win the general election, then don’t get involved. Let the people of that individual state determine who they want to have as their candidate running for the U.S. Senate.”