Handicapping the 2024 Senate Map

Happy Monday! Just four more days until you can start openly listening to Christmas music without fear of reprisals from the holiday police.

Up to Speed

  • Former first lady Rosalynn Carter died Sunday at her Georgia home at the age of 96. In a statement, Jimmy Carter, 99, called her “my equal partner in everything I ever accomplished,” who “gave me wise guidance and encouragement when I needed it.” The former president entered hospice care in February; the former first lady had entered hospice care on Friday after a May diagnosis of dementia. The two were married for 77 years.
  • President Joe Biden, who turns 81 today, will hold court this afternoon for the White House’s annual pardoning of the Thanksgiving turkeys. As he does every year, the president will spend the holiday in Nantucket with his family.
  • Meanwhile, Biden’s poll numbers continue to droop: The latest NBC News presidential poll, released Sunday, found low-water marks for his approval and his strength in a potential rematch against Donald Trump. The former president led Biden 46 percent to 44 percent in the poll—a result within the margin of error, but the worst showing for him yet in NBC News’ polling.
  • Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, who entered the fiscal quarter unexpectedly low on cash, raised $2 million across five Florida fundraisers last week, Axios reported Friday.
  • Former U.N. Ambassador and South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley got a surprise presidential endorsement Friday from a major Iowa GOP activist: Marlys Popma, the former executive director of the state party and former president of Iowa Right to Life. “I was an undecided voter when I walked in here today, and I am no longer an undecided voter,” she told Haley from the crowd at an event in Newton. “And I just want to tell Nikki that I wholeheartedly support you.”

Sketching Out the Senate Map for 2024

Sen. Joe Manchin talks with Sen. Jon Tester as they arrive for a Senate Appropriations Committee hearing on October 31, 2023, in Washington, D.C. (Photo by Drew Angerer/Getty Images)
Sen. Joe Manchin talks with Sen. Jon Tester as they arrive for a Senate Appropriations Committee hearing on October 31, 2023, in Washington, D.C. (Photo by Drew Angerer/Getty Images)

Obscured by the day-to-day of the 2024 battle for the White House is another political showdown brewing between Democrats and Republicans: The race for control of the United States Senate.

The Democrats are defending a narrow 51-seat majority, owed to the fact the Senate’s three independents caucus with their party. The GOP, therefore, would only need to flip two seats in 2024 to recapture the majority—or one, if the Republican presidential nominee wins the White House and his or her vice president can cast tie-breaking votes as the president of the Senate.

Sounds doable, right? Well, that’s what Republicans thought leading up to the 2022 midterm elections.

You're out of free articles
Create an account to unlock 1 more articles
By signing up with your email, you agree to The Dispatch’s privacy policy and terms and conditions
Already have an account? Sign In
Comments (34)
Join The Dispatch to participate in the comments.
 
Load More