The 2024 Senate map is not very promising for Democrats, but they nonetheless plan to make Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX) their top target for a pickup opportunity.
In 2018, Cruz narrowly held off a challenge from Beto O’Rourke in a race that he won by just under three percentage points.
And although the odds are still definitely in his favor to win a third term in office, Politico reports that Democrats are planning to make the junior Texas senator sweat it out, especially with Rep. Collin Allred (D-TX), who is also a former NFL linebacker, jumping into the race.
In a statement issued to Politico, Sarah Guggenheimer, spokesperson for the Democratic-controlled Senate Majority PAC, described Cruz as one of three “cartoon villains” that Democrats will be eyeing to beat next year, along with Sens. Rick Scott (R-FL) and Josh Hawley (R-MO).
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That said, Democrats seem to think Cruz is the most promising target for an upset of the bunch, and Cruz himself has acknowledged that he’s going to be in for a potentially tough fight.
“We are taking the race intensely seriously,” Cruz explained. “Schumer has been explicit that my race is his No. 1 Republican target this next cycle.”
Democrats will also be trying to protect a number of potentially vulnerable incumbents next year, including Sens. Jon Tester (D-MT), Joe Manchin (D-WV), and Sherrod Brown (D-OH).