Top Senate Democrats deflected and dodged questions about Democratic Rep. Ruben Gallego’s decision to challenge independent Sen. Kyrsten Sinema in Arizona, reflecting the party’s wait-and-see stance toward a crucial contest as it hopes to hold the Senate in 2024.
Senator Dick Durbin of Illinois, the No. 1 Democrat. 1.2 in the Senate, he said it was “too early” to say whether he would support Gallego or any other Democratic candidate in the race.
“We don’t even know who is going to file for any office in any state,” he added Monday.
Sen. Tammy Baldwin (D-Wis.), who worked closely with Sinema on legislation protecting same-sex marriage late last year, also said it was too early to comment.
“We don’t know who’s running. It’s premature,” Baldwin said. She repeated the word “premature” four more times as reporters peppered her with questions as she entered a Senate elevator.
Sinema’s decision to leave the Democratic Party has put senior Democratic officials, from President Joe Biden to Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer to fellow Sen. Mark Kelly (D-Ariz.), in a difficult position to support him on Sinema, whose vote might be needed. to confirm crucial candidates for Biden? Or support Gallego or another potential Democratic candidate, who will almost certainly have the support of the state party and the overwhelming majority of Arizona Democrats.
So far, their answer has been unanimous: ask me later. In a statement, for example, the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee declined to address Sinema or Gallego.
“Republicans have suffered resounding Senate defeats in Arizona for the past three consecutive election cycles, and we are confident that we will stop Republicans from trying to take this Senate seat,” spokeswoman Nora Keefe said.
Schumer also declined to comment when asked about the issue Monday.
Sinema has so far declined to say whether he plans to run for a second term after winning his first as a Democrat in 2018, becoming an independent and leaving the Democratic caucus only after an unexpectedly strong showing by state Democrats in the interim from 2022. semester.
That has led some Democrats to quietly hope he will decide to retire rather than run. Recent early polls in the race showed her a distant third behind Gallego and a Republican candidate.
“Someone in the administration should look for a wine-producing country that needs an ambassador,” said one Democratic operative, speaking on condition of anonymity to avoid antagonizing Sinema, a known oenophile.
Still, Gallego was able to quickly assemble a top-level Democratic advisory team: New Deal Strategies, which supported the successful bid of Sen. John Fetterman (D-Pa.), is his general counsel. GBAO Strategies, a leading democratic firm, is its survey. And Aisle 518, another well-respected company, is all about digital fundraising.
If the Democratic leadership wanted to block a bid from Gallego, it could have sent signals to party leadership advisers not to work for him. Of course they didn’t. Instead, two top Democratic consulting firms did he stopped working for Sinema over the past year and is set to lose access to NGP VAN, the party’s voter database, at the end of the month.
“The moment he left the Democratic Party, he opened up the entire Democratic field of operations to Gallego,” said a source familiar with Gallego’s campaign, who requested anonymity to speak candidly about the campaign’s internal operations.
The no-holds-barred approach also reflects a revised Senate Democratic strategy to stay out of primaries and cross-party battles. For years, Schumer has been known for giving early endorsements to key candidates and working to clear the ground for his picks.
But after a somewhat disappointing 2020 Senate cycle, DSCC and the larger party apparatus have largely withdrawn from early endorsements in 2022. With Sen. Gary Peters (D-Mich.) returning to chair the committee for a second consecutive term, the party will continue to avoid by taking sides in 2024.
Even as the D.C. caucus continues to hold out, the party’s base is making clear its desire to oust Sinema: Monday, the day Gallego announced his bids, online donations to Change For Arizona 2024 PAC, a progressive group dedicated to ousting Cinema. ― increased by 300%.
Sinema declined to comment when asked about Gallego’s entry into the race and whether he plans to run for re-election.
“I wish I had brought a coat because it’s very cold tonight,” the senator said as he left the Capitol on a windy Washington evening.
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