HARTFORD, Conn. (AP) β Republicans have found success in Democratic strongholds like Maryland and Massachusetts when they have fielded moderate candidates who could appeal to voters in both parties. With Democrats facing headwinds this year, Republicans had hoped that strategy could pay off yet again.
But Republican voters have nominated loyalists of former President Donald Trump in several Democratic states, including Maryland and Connecticut, making the GOP's odds of winning those general election races even longer. Massachusetts will face its own test next month as GOP voters decide between a Trump-backed conservative and a more moderate Republican for the party's gubernatorial nominee.
"It can't continue," said former Connecticut U.S. Rep. Christopher Shays, a moderate Republican and Trump critic, referring to the GOP choosing pro-Trump candidates. "One of the things that will happen is that a lot of the Trump candidates who won the primary will lose the general election. And there are a lot of unhappy Republicans who hold office now who believe that the Senate now is in jeopardy of staying Democratic."
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BATTLE FOR THE SENATE
These 9 key Senate matchups are set
Pennsylvania
Updated
Dr. Mehmet Oz (Republican) vs. John Fetterman (Democrat)
This race is to fill the seat of retiring Republican Sen. Pat Toomey.
Dr. Mehmet Oz has won Pennsylvania's Republican U.S. Senate primary after a dayslong recount. The celebrity heart surgeon will face Democratic Lt. Gov. John Fetterman in November. Fetterman is off the campaign trail while he recovers from a stroke and a serious heart condition. Democrats view this race, a contest to replace retiring two-term Republican Sen. Pat Toomey, as perhaps their best opportunity to pick up a seat in the battle for the Senate. Fetterman ads are railing against outsourced jobs, closed factories, rising costs and low wages, saying βthose decisions were made for us by people that don't know us.β National Republicans, meanwhile, are trying to tie Fetterman to his party's most liberal members and to the Biden administration.
Georgia
Updated
Sen. Raphael Warnock (Democrat) vs.Β Herschel Walker (Republican)
Georgia still struggles with its history of slavery, segregation and racial injustice, but voters in the Deep South state have for the first time selected two Black candidates to represent the major parties in a U.S. Senate race. And it's Black voters who could prove decisive to the election outcome in November. Football legend Herschel Walker will represent the Republican Party in its efforts to unseat Democratic Sen. Raphael Warnock after both men handily defeated primary challengers last week. Black candidates from the two parties have competed for Senate at other times in the recent past in other states, but the contest between Walker and Warnock is expected to be significantly more intense.
Nevada
Updated
Sen.Β Catherine Cortez Masto (Democrat) vs. Adam Laxalt (Republican)
Adam Laxalt, a former state attorney general who has embraced lies about the 2020 election, won the Republican nomination for a pivotal Nevada Senate seat, setting up what will likely be a fierce and costly race against incumbent Catherine Cortez Masto, one of the most endangered Democrats in an evenly divided Senate. Republicans see the race as their best opportunity to flip a Senate seat and regain the majority, but are also watching for longer-term signals that Nevada is swinging back in their direction after rejecting every GOP presidential candidate since 2004.
North Carolina
Updated
Ted Budd (Republican) vs. Cheri Beasley (Democrat)
This race is to fill the seat of retiring Republican Sen. Richard Burr.
U.S. Rep. Ted Budd and former state Supreme Court Chief Justice Cheri Beasley will compete in matchup that should again test former President Donald Trump's influence in North Carolina. Buddβs primary win was a victory for Trump, who elevated the little-known congressman with a surprise endorsement nearly a year ago. Beasley would be North Carolinaβs first Black senator if elected in the Republican-leaning state. In 2020, she lost a statewide election to remain chief justice by just 400 votes.
Ohio
Updated
J.D. Vance (Republican) vs. Tim Ryan (Democrat)
This race is to fill the seat of retiring Republican Sen. Rob Portman.
"Hillbilly Elegy" author J.D. Vance, who received Trump's backing in mid-April, won the Republican nomination on May 3. Democratic Rep. Tim Ryan easily won his party's nomination but starts at a disadvantage in this reddening state. Vance and Ryan are vying to fill the seat left by retiring Republican Sen. Rob Portman.
Colorado
Sen. Michael Bennet (Democrat) vs. Joe O'Dea (Republican)
Wisconsin
Sen. Ron Johnson (Republican) vs. Mandela Barnes (Democrat)
Lt. Gov. Mandela Barnes won the Democratic nomination to face Republican Sen. Ron Johnson, one of Trumpβs most vocal supporters. The matchup is among the last to be set before the November general election, when control of the currently 50-50 split Senate is up for grabs, and Democrats see Wisconsin as one of their best opportunities to flip a seat.
Arizona
Sen. Mark Kelly (Democrat) vs. Blake Masters (Republican)
Trump-backed Blake Masters emerged as the Republican nominee. The 35-year-old first-time candidate has spent most of his career working for billionaire Peter Thiel, who is bankrolling his campaign. Masters emphasized cultural grievances that animate the right, including critical race theory and allegations of big tech censorship. Masters will take on Democratic Sen. Mark Kelly in the fall.
Florida
Updated
Sen. Marco Rubio (Republican) vs. Val Demings (Democrat)
U.S. Rep. Val Demings easily won the Democratic nomination to challenge Republican Sen. Marco Rubio this fall. Demings, a former police chief and a prodigious political fundraiser, has a chance to become Floridaβs first Black female senator. While some Democrats are hopeful that Demings can unseat Rubio, the party's national leadership is prioritizing competitive Senate contests in other states, including neighboring Georgia, Arizona and Pennsylvania.
