The race for control of the Senate is expected to be costly, and in several battles, those funds are coming directly from candidates’ pockets.
As Democrats are on defense across the country in their bid to keep control of the upper chamber of Congress, in three pivotal races, the candidate’s spending will be put to the test in the primary and general elections.
David Trone — Maryland
Rep. David Trone (D-MD) is attempting to succeed Sen. Ben Cardin (D-MD) with massive spending by himself, but he faces tougher-than-expected races in next week’s primary and the November general election.
Trone, one of the founders of Total Wine and More, has spent more than $57 million of his own cash, according to a report from NBC News, but has been embroiled in several controversies.
Last week, he had to pull an advertisement in which he attacked his opponent Prince George’s County Executive Angela Alsobrooks’s inexperience, with one of his supporters saying in the ad that the “U.S. Senate is not a place for training wheels.” The attack ad against Alsobrooks, who is a black woman, was decried as racist and misogynistic by some. Trone also apologized in March for his use of a racial slur during a congressional hearing. He claimed that he misspoke and meant to say “bugaboo.”
If Trone defeats Alsobrooks in the primary, he is expected to face an unexpectedly challenging race in the general election against popular former GOP Gov. Larry Hogan. While the race in blue Maryland is still considered “likely Democratic” by the CookPoliticalReport, Hogan is a significantly more popular figure than a typical GOP candidate in the state.
Bernie Moreno — Ohio
Republican Bernie Moreno has also poured his funds into his bid to oust Sen. Sherrod Brown (D-OH) in increasingly red Ohio.
Moreno has given $3 million of his funds toward his Senate bid after a hotly contested primary and entering a similarly tense general election. While the Republican has given himself a significant fundraising boost, Brown has had the cash advantage in the race.
The Ohio Senate seat is one Democrats must hold on to if they have hope of maintaining or expanding their majority in the upper chamber of Congress. It is rated as a “toss-up” by the CookPoliticalReport.
Tim Sheehy — Montana
Republican Tim Sheehy is also trying to oust a Democratic incumbent in a red state, Sen. Jon Tester (D-MT), and is using his piggy bank to move toward that goal.
Like the race in the Buckeye State, Montana is a crucial race for Democrats if they wish to keep the Senate majority after November. Sheehy has poured $1.5 million of his own money into his bid to flip the seat, with no major primary opponent in the way of a one-on-one race against Tester in the general election.
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Sheehy’s race against Tester is also considered a “toss-up” by the CookPoliticalReport.
Alongside Moreno and Sheehy, Republicans are banking on other wealthy candidates to help with funding, as they have trailed Democrats in fundraising in key races in recent years. Other wealthy Senate candidates the GOP is banking on include David McCormick in Pennsylvania and Eric Hovde in Wisconsin.
