Here are the six Democrat senators who could retire before potentially tough 2024

At least six Democratic senators could potentially retire in an effort to avoid a thrashing before the brutal 2024 election battle begins with leftists defending 23 of the 34 Senate seats up for grabs next time around and a presidential election looming.

As 2024 is peeking around the corner, a number of Senate Democrats are rumored to be considering hoofing it before the proverbial you-know-what hits the fan rather than face a vicious 2024 re-election campaign.

While the 2022 midterms went far better for Democrats than expected, the 2024 election cycle is a different story. Democrats will be fighting for their seats in a number of battleground states and voters are not in a charitable mood these days.

Michigan Democratic Sen. Debbie Stabenow announced last week that she will not seek re-election in 2024. And there are at least six others contemplating a similar move.

There will be a battle in 2024 as Democrats attempt to defend seats. Of the 23 seats being fought over, seven are in states that former President Trump won in either 2016 or 2020. On the other side of the aisle, Republicans will not be defending any seat in a state won by President Biden. That differs from the 2022 midterms where most of the competitive races were ones where Biden had previously won. Those included Nevada, Pennsylvania, Georgia, and Arizona.

First up in the political rumor mill is West Virginia Senator Joe Manchin. He has alternately been loved and hated by Democrats and is seen as the most vulnerable senator in 2024, according to Fox News. He hasn’t announced that he will run for reelection yet. Trump won his state by 39 points in the 2020 election.

In what would otherwise be a red state, Manchin is in hot water. He played an integral role in helping Biden get the Inflation Reduction Act passed. He’s also on the wrong team when it comes to coal production, which is a staple of the state.

Republican Rep. Alex Mooney has already announced his intention to run for the Senate in West Virginia and is eyeing Manchin’s seat.

West Virginia Attorney General Patrick Morrisey is also coveting the seat and has intimated that he is considering running. He narrowly lost to Manchin in 2018.

Next on the potential chopping block is elderly California Democratic Senator Dianne Feinstein. She is 89 and Democrats have been questioning her mental faculties for quite a while now. She is the oldest-serving senator and has not announced if she will seek re-election in 2024.

It is widely believed she will not run again. Other Democrats are lining up to grab her seat as she exits.

Chief among those vultures on the left is Rep. Katie Porter who announced on Tuesday that she will be entering the Golden State’s 2024 Senate race.

“We’re living through a time of extraordinary change. … Change can be electrifying and exhilarating, but change can also be disruptive – like the constant assault on our democracy and the dangerous imbalance in our economy,” Porter, who represents California’s 47th Congressional District, declared.

Virginia Democratic Senator Tim Kaine is also said to be considering leaving office following the election of Republican Gov. Glenn Youngkin. Rumor has it Youngkin may be considering running for Kaine’s seat in 2024 and he is a very popular governor. He has not made an official announcement yet.

Kaine stated as recently as August that he intends to run again. But the Richmond Times-Dispatch is speculating he may retire instead. When the paper asked what he thought about nervous Democrats who fear him dropping his seat, Kaine responded, “They know I haven’t made up my mind yet.”

Wisconsin Democratic Senator Tammy Baldwin is also one of those who may decide to get out while the getting’s good. She has served as a junior senator since 2013 but has not announced that she will seek reelection next time around. Her state was won by Trump in 2016 by less than a percentage point. Baldwin served in the House for six years.

If she does run, she will face a number of touchy subjects from conservative voters. Specifically concerning her involvement in pushing the Affordable Care Act.

Montana Democratic Senator Jon Tester is deeply unpopular in his state despite serving three terms. He’s up for reelection in 2024 and told MSNBC’s Chuck Todd he “feels good about his chances” during a December interview.

(Video Credit: Meet the Press)

His seat is seen as one of the most vulnerable Democrat-held ones in the Senate. Montana went for Trump by 16 points in 2020 and Republicans pretty much swept the state in the 2022 midterm elections.

Rep. Matt Rosendale is hinting at running against Tester. He narrowly lost to him in 2018.

Rep. Ryan Zinke is also reportedly considering running for the seat but will decide on a Senate run sometime in 2023, he told the Associated Press in an interview.

Both Montana’s governor and attorney general are Republicans. The state appears to be trending redder and Tester’s days may be numbered. He may sense the shift and decide to go fishing rather than run for office again.

Pennsylvania Democratic Senator Bob Casey is also uncertain whether he will run for reelection in 2024. He was diagnosed with prostate cancer in December which puts his running in doubt.

Casey will reportedly undergo surgery in the next few months and asserts that his condition will not impact his service in the Senate. But he has not announced if he will run in 2024.

Comment

We have no tolerance for comments containing violence, racism, profanity, vulgarity, doxing, or discourteous behavior. If a comment is spam, instead of replying to it please click the ∨ icon below and to the right of that comment. Thank you for partnering with us to maintain fruitful conversation.

Latest Articles