Key Democratic Senate Incumbents
Montana: Jon Tester
Jon Tester is seeking his fourth term in the Senate. In 2018, he received 50.3% of the vote, defeating his Republican opponent by 4.5%. Tester is a centrist Democrat who has customized his positions on issues such as guns, energy, agriculture, border security, and defense to coexist with the political realities of Montana. His family has operated a farm in Montana for several generations, and he continues to operate that farm today. Montana is a very red state, as Republicans have carried the state in every presidential election since 1996--Trump had a 16% plurality in 2020.
Tester supports bipartisanship; “all of the above” energy policy, including carbon capture technology to protect Montana’s coal interests; veteran’s rights, including sponsoring a successful “burn pit” law; agriculture policy that protects Montana farmers and ranchers from unfair practices of multinational agricultural corporations; a constitutional amendment to undo Citizen’s United; Second Amendment rights, supporting background checks but generally opposing any restrictions on gun ownership; reproductive rights and family planning support; investments in education, particularly for rural and Native American interests, and job training and apprenticeships; lowering prescription drug prices; affordable health care, especially access to it in Montana’s expansive rural areas; Native American sovereignty; border security given Montana’s 540-mile Canadian border; modernization of America’s ICBM fleet, given the large military presence in Montana; keeping public lands public to promote Montana’s outdoor recreation industry; protecting areas outside of Yellowstone from industrial mining; equal pay for equal work; and, protecting Medicare and Social Security.
Senate Committees: Appropriations, and chairs the Defense Appropriations Subcommittee; Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs; Commerce, Science, and Transportation; Indian Affairs; Veterans. Tester is a member of the Senate Transparency Caucus, which promotes government accountability and transparency.
Endorsements: American Israeli PAC; League of Conservation Voters; Planned Parenthood; End Citizen’s United; Feminist Majority PAC.
The opposition: The GOP nominee is retired Navy SEAL Tim Sheehy. He is supported by the National Republican Senatorial Committee and Trump. Use of a "top 2" primary for this election is no longer a concern, and a Libertarian presence may help Tester.
The odds: The Cook Political Report, Inside Elections, and Sabato’s Crystal Ball all rated it as a toss-up in the first half of 2024. However, they have all recently changed the rating to leaning Republican. This coincides with polling changes from Tester +5% previously to Sheehy +6%. A recent cash-on-hand analysis had Tester leading Sheehy by $11.8 million to $3.3 million.
Donations by check can be written to Montanans for Tester and mailed to:
Montanans for Tester
PO Box 1135
Helena, MT
59624-9947
Donations can be made via www.jontester.com.
Nevada: Jacky Rosen
Jacky Rosen was first elected to the Senate in 2018. She received 50.4% of the vote and defeated her Republican opponent by 5%. She is a moderate Democrat competing in a purple state that gave Biden a +2% plurality in 2020.
Rosen supports bipartisanship; reproductive rights; trade unions; affordable child care; paid family leave; equal pay for equal work; middle class tax cuts; greater spending on education, particularly for spending on STEM and vocational training; cyber security; immigration reform paired with greater border security; preserving public lands in Nevada; and protections for the solar industry in Nevada.
Senate Committees: Armed Services; Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs; Commerce, Science, and Transportation; and, Small Business and Entrepreneurship. Rosen is the Chair of the Tourism, Trade, and Export Promotion Subcommittee.
Endorsements: End Citizen’s United, Emily’s List, League of Conservation Voters, Planned Parenthood, and the American Israeli PAC.
The opposition: Sam Brown, a former US Army Captain who served in Afghanistan, is endorsed by the National Republican Senatorial Committee and Donald Trump.
The odds: Inside Elections and Sabato’s Crystal Ball and two other pollsters rate the race as leaning Democratic, while the Cook Political Report called it a toss-up. Six out of seven recent polls have Rosen defeating Brown by at least 7 points.
Donations by check can be written to “Rosen for Nevada” and mailed to:
Rosen for Nevada
PO Box 46110
Las Vegas, NV
89114
Donations can be made via www.rosenfornevada.com.
Ohio: Sherrod Brown
Sherrod Brown is seeking his fourth term in the Senate in a state that has been R+8 in recent years. His success stems from championing issues that are important to Ohio’s blue-collar workers. For example, he is addressing perverse tax incentives that shift auto supply chain jobs overseas. His personal popularity in Ohio allows him to buck the Republican tide there – since 2010 Brown and Obama are the only Democrats that won a statewide race.
Brown supports the return of manufacturing jobs to the U.S. and Ohio in particular; protecting jobs via better trade deals (he opposed the original NAFTA and CAFTA and worked to improve an updated NAFTA during the Trump years); affordable health care; lower prescription drug prices; U.S. manufactured alternative energy sources; lowering prescription drug prices; and, quality affordable health care for all.
Senate Committees: Chair of the Senate Banking, Housing and Urban Affairs Committee and was a key player in forming the Consumer Finance Protection Bureau. He worked to strengthen the safety net for farmers while on the Agriculture, Nutrition and Forestry Committee. He also served on the Veterans Affairs Committee.
Endorsements: End Citizen’s United, Feminist Majority PAC, League of Conservation Voters, Planned Parenthood, and the AFL-CIO.
The opposition: Trump-backed car dealer Bernie Moreno is the Republican candidate. There is also a pro-Trump Veterans Against Treason candidate, Thomas Trefts, who may take away some votes from Moreno.
The odds: The Cook Political Report, Inside Elections, and Sabato’s Crystal Ball all rate the race as a toss-up. Four recent polls give Brown an average lead of 4 points, while two give Moreno a 2% lead. Brown leads Moreno in cash on hand by $10.7M to $4.5M.
Donations by check can be written to “Friends of Sherrod Brown” and mailed to:
Friends of Sherrod Brown
3867 West Market St
Suite 289
Akron, OH
44333
Donations can be made via www.sherrodbrown.com.
Wisconsin: Tammy Baldwin
Tammy Baldwin is an openly gay two-term incumbent who won with 55.4% of the vote in 2018. She is seeking re-election in a state with its last two presidential votes decided by less than 1% of the vote.
Baldwin supports health care as a human right; lowering prescription drug prices; expanding veteran’s health care; reproductive rights; LGBTQ+ rights; and, stimulating manufacturing in the United States.
Senate Committees: Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions; Commerce, Science, and Transportation; Appropriations.
Endorsements: IBEW, AFL-CIO, Emily’s List, League of Conservation Voters, Planned Parenthood, and NARAL.
The opposition: The GOP candidate is Eric Hovde. Hovde is a real estate executive, bank CEO, and co-founder of the family-run Hovde Foundation. His stated priorities are inflation, border protection, and the cost of health care. A Libertarian candidate will also be on the ballot along with two other nonaffiliated candidates, and they may take away some votes from Hovde.
The odds: The Cook Political Report, Inside Elections, and Sabato’s Crystal Ball all rate the race as leaning Democratic. Nine recent polls give Baldwin a lead that ranges from 3% to 8%.
Donations by check can be written to "Tammy Baldwin for Senate" and mailed to:
Tammy Baldwin for Senate
PO BOX 696
Madison, WI
53701
Contributions can be made via www.tammybaldwin.com.
Key Senate Races to Expand the Majority
None. It is unlikely that Texas and Florida will be flipped, but consider donating to Colin Allred (TX) and Debbie Mucarsel Powell (FL).
The following sources were used in the candidate selection process: Force Multiplier, The Cook Political Report, Inside Elections, Sabato's Crystal Ball, other pollsters, Daily KOS Elections emails, Emily's List, Swing Left, Vote Vets, Vote Smart, Wikipedia, Ballotpedia, and many Google searches related to the races and the candidates.
Note: In races having more than one Democratic candidate entering a primary, more information may be available for one candidate than others, but that should not be interpreted as an endorsement.
Please contact the subcommittee chair, Mike Potishnak (mpot@charter.net), if you have any questions or comments.