The battle for the Senate is continuing to take shape as Democrats look to defend their one-seat majority in the chamber. They received some good news Monday morning when Sen. Bob Casey, D-Pa., announced he would seek a fourth term after undergoing surgery related to prostate cancer.
But complicating that path forward, another senator — Arizona’s Kyrsten Sinema — also appears to be gearing up to run for a second term, but this time as an independent, per the Wall Street Journal.
GOP primaries are also gearing up. In Arizona, Pinal County Sheriff Mark Lamb is expected to launch a Senate run this week, per NBC News’ Vaughn Hillyard. Other Republicans, including former gubernatorial candidates Kari Lake and Karrin Taylor Robson, as well as last year’s Senate nominee, Blake Masters, are still weighing runs.
And in West Virginia, a GOP proxy war is brewing in a top pick-up opportunity for Republicans, NBC News’ Allan Smith and Sahil Kapur report. The conservative Club for Growth recently backed GOP Rep. Alex Mooney in the race, while Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell and his allies are pushing for term-limited GOP Gov. Jim Justice to run.
While Democrats are largely on defense next year, Republicans’ most vulnerable incumbents include Sens. Ted Cruz of Texas and Rick Scott of Florida. Cruz is gearing up for his race, stressing his bipartisan bonafides in an interview with NBC News, Scott Wong and Sahil Kapur report.
And as the Senate fields take shape, also keep an eye on election laws in key states. In Montana, for example, state legislators are weighing making this year’s Senate primary a Top 2 contest, effectively eliminating a third-party candidate from the November ballot.
In other campaign news…
Biden his time: President Joe Biden is not in any rush to launch his re-election campaign, NBC News’ Peter Nicholas, Carol E. Lee, Monica Alba and Mike Memoli report.
Trump’s team: NBC News’ Matt Dixon and Jonathan Allen delve into former President Donald Trump’s inner circle, as his aides try to help the former president navigate a presidential campaign amid legal battles.
Classified: One of Trump’s legal battles includes the ongoing investigation into his handling of classified documents. Trump’s attorney James Trusty told “Meet the Press” on Sunday that there are no more classified documents at Trump’s Mar-a-Lago residence.
The latest in DeSantis World: The New York Times reports on how DeSantis’s prolific fundraising at the state level is “is no guarantee of success on the national stage.” The Washington Post also reports on DeSantis’ calculus in responding to Trump’s indictment. And the Associated Press writes that the governor is traveling to South Carolina later this month.
How do you solve a problem like no media?: Politico reports on the difficulties that Trump’s GOP rivals have had breaking through as the former president has dominated the headlines.
Hop, skip and a dodge: When asked about the Tennessee House expelling two black Democratic state lawmakers last week, former Arkansas GOP Gov. Asa Hutchinson told “Meet the Press NOW”,“I don’t think that every national leader needs to comment on what’s happening in Tennessee.”
Strange bedfellows: What do two likely presidential candidates, Florida Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis and Democratic author Robert F. Kennedy Jr. have in common? They both recently criticized the Federal Reserve’s digital plans.
Denial: Kennedy Jr. tweeted this past weekend denying reports that he discussed his presidential bid with Trump ally Steve Bannon.
Convention jockeying: NBC News’ Natasha Korecki has the scoop on a private call from a key Illinois politico (no, not that one), in which Chicago Mayor-elect Brandon Johnson pitched Biden on bringing the Democratic National Convention to the Windy City.
