(C) Daily Kos This story was originally published by Daily Kos and is unaltered. . . . . . . . . . . Races for the US Senate are Expensive. These Candidates in Competitive Seats Need the Most Help [1] ['This Content Is Not Subject To Review Daily Kos Staff Prior To Publication.'] Date: 2024-06-04 A month or so ago, I looked at the House races where giving a donation could make a difference in whether or not a race will be viable. Now, I am turning my eye to the Senate and writing about the 9 races that are competitive. Where should we direct our money in order to retain the Senate? That’s a very good question, because saturation levels can be hit early and often with how much Senate candidates raise these days. These rankings will be in order of the most need, NOT the most competitive. Some of these candidates need a LOT of funds to make an aggressive pitch to win their state. When deciding to donate to a campaign, make sure to evaluate everything instead of letting emotion guide your choices. We aren’t winning a Senate seat in West Virginia any time soon, so donating there is a waste of resources. The most efficient way to donate to each campaign is to donate to the Save our Senate fund, which covers all nine candidates below. . . Here is the Save Our Senate 2024 Fund on ActBlue! The 2024 Senate map is a brutal one! These 9 candidates are the key to holding the Senate. Please donate and then share a link to this site on your social media! #SaveOurSenate . We have raised over $14k of the new $15k goal so far! . . Below the fold is the list, with a quick description of how much I think each candidate needs to raise to run a close race. 1. Rep. Colin Allred — Texas He’s in the biggest state, so naturally he needs to raise the most dough to win. The Texas Senate race is a rare chance to go on the offense in a year where we are defending so many seats. Rep. Colin Allred is ahead of the fundraising pace that Beto O’Rourke set in 2018, but with inflation he’ll need to raise around $100M in such a large state to be viable. That’s why he is #1 on the list despite already having raised $27.3M total and having over $10M cash on hand. 2. Debbie Mucarsel-Powell — Florida She’s in another large state where we need a lot of money to have a chance these days. Florida is another chance to go on the offense, though recent results in the state aren’t promising. Debbie Mucarsel-Powell will have to rely on an abortion rights ballot measure to juice enthusiasm, as Florida Democrats are amongst the most incompetent of state parties. She’s raised $7.2M total, and has $2.75M cash on hand. She’ll likely need to raise $75M to have a chance. 3. Rep. Elissa Slotkin — Michigan Her totals for cash on hand and fundraising are lower than a lot of others on this list. Michigan is a state that could be the tipping point for the Electoral College. With Sen. Debbie Stabenow retiring, the mantle is being picked up by Rep. Elissa Slotkin. While she is outraising her challengers, she also is lower in cash on hand and funds raised in Q1 than others listed here. She has raised nearly $16M overall, and she has $8.6M on hand. She’ll probably need $35-40 million. 4. Sen. Bob Casey, Jr. — Pennsylvania He’s doing well in fundraising, but his opponent is rich. He’ll need more to counter the ad barrage. Pennsylvania is another potential tipping point state for the Electoral College. We have an incumbent in Sen. Bob Casey, Jr. who is doing well in the fundraising department. He has raised $23.3M total and has $11.9M on hand right now. The problem is his opponent is a self-funder, which drives up the cost of this race. Casey will likely need $45-50 million to brush back Dave McCormick. 5. Rep. Ruben Gallego — Arizona He is in a pretty good place now that Sinema is out of the way. Arizona is a very evenly divided state, with polling showing Rep. Ruben Gallego ahead and Trump also in the lead. It helps immensely that flaky Sen. Kyrsten Sinema is out of the race, making it a head-to-head matchup with election denier Krazy Kari Lake. Gallego has raised $21M in total and has $9.6M cash on hand. He’ll need upwards of around $40M to securer this seat. 6. Sen. Tammy Baldwin — Wisconsin She’s doing fine in fundraising, but she has to face off against a wealthy challenger. Wisconsin was the tipping point state in 2020, and it is quite possible that it will decide the Electoral College once again in 2024. Sen. Tammy Baldwin has to face off against the wealthy Eric Hovde, which bumps this race up a few notches. Baldwin has raised $26M and has $10.25M to spend right now. She’ll likely need $40-45M to get re-elected to the Senate this year. 7. Sen. Jacky Rosen — Nevada Nevada is a smaller state, but difficult to win due to the transience of the population. Nevada is a state trending to the right in recent elections, which puts Sen. Jacky Rosen in a tough position (especially when Trump is polling so well in the state). Rosen has yet to find out her opponent, as there is a competitive GOP primary. She has raised $23.5M and has $13.2M to spend. I think she is close to the $30-35M she needs to win, but I could be wrong. 8. Sen. Sherrod Brown — Ohio He had amongst the best quarters earlier this year. That’s why he is far down on the list. Ohio is a state where we will either lose decisively or squeak by with a win. Sen. Sherrod Brown certainly gives us the best shot of winning, and win we must if we are to keep the Senate. Foe Bernie Moreno is wealthy, but Brown raised over $11M last quarter. He has raised $39M so far and has $16M to spend. He’ll likely need $45-50M in total in order to have a chance this year. 9. Sen. Jon Tester — Montana He fits Montana perfectly, but the state is so red these days he needs to raise a LOT. Montana, like Ohio, is on the front lines of the race to win the Senate. That means Sen. Jon Tester has to raise gargantuan sums to stay afloat in the race against Tim Sheehy. Luckily for us, he has been turning in gangbusters totals every quarter so far. He has raised $32.5M in total and has $12.65M to spend. Montana is a cheap state, so as long as he keeps hauling in funds he is fine. Now that I’ve written this article, the list is almost the exact opposite of how seriously contested each race is! It is heartening to know that the money is flowing to exactly where we need it the most. Now, we need to fund the races towards the top. The offensive opportunities are insurance in case Montana or Ohio flips, as they might. Slotkin likely will be fine, but better safe than sorry. It’s why my fundraising efforts focus more on the House than the Senate. All in all, we are in a pretty good position on the fundraising front. If only the Senate races weren’t so tough this year! 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