Democrats struggle to find Senate campaign head after Sen. Gary Peters bows out
Samantha-Jo Roth
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Sen. Gary Peters (D-MI) has decided against staying at the helm of the Democrats’ Senate campaign arm after pulling off a historic task of reelecting every incumbent this cycle, in addition to gaining one seat in Pennsylvania.
The Michigan senator ultimately decided not to stay on as DSCC chairman because he wanted to close out his time on a high note, according to a spokeswoman for the senator. The 2022 campaign cycle marked the first time since 1934 that the Democratic Party did not lose any Senate seats in a midterm election while holding the White House.
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Peters had openly demurred about the prospect of another two years as the DSCC chairman. Staff for the senator pointed out it is rare for a DSCC chair to stay on for two cycles. It is still unclear as to who will lead the committee, a job Sen. Kyrsten Sinema (I-AZ) made even more difficult with her move to change her party affiliation to independent on Friday. The electoral math is even more challenging for Senate Democrats in 2024. Of the Senate Democrats up for reelection, seven are in states that went for former President Donald Trump in 2016, 2020, or both. There are no Republican seats up in states won by either Hillary Clinton in 2016 or President Joe Biden in 2020.
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“It’s a game of hot potato — the only thing more difficult than protecting Democrats’ 51-seat majority during the upcoming cycle could be finding a senator willing to take on the worst job in Washington,” said one Democratic strategist, speaking on the condition of anonymity in order to reflect candidly on the situation. “Our pickup opportunities are potentially nonexistent. Our best hope is targeting Sen. Cruz in Texas or Sen. Scott in Florida — and that isn’t very promising.”
Peters isn’t up for reelection until 2026 after winning his last race by just 1.7 points.