I have previously noted that Roy Cooper and Sherrod Brown are saying nothing about Trump in their commercials. Are there Senate races in which Trump is the featured actor?
Yes. In Maine, a blue state, the key issue is the degree to which Susan Collins is genuinely independent of Trump. She has some facts on her side, but she will have to defend plenty of her other votes. Does Maine want someone who believes Trump is right on most of the issues, but not some of the big ones, or someone who opposes him at every turn? We will find out in November.
In the Michigan Senate race, the GOP candidate, Mike Rogers, will portray the newly minted Democratic standard bearer as a wokester, an antisemite, and a socialist. There will be a grain of truth in these allegations. El-Sayed will respond by tying Rogers to Trump at every turn. Will animosity towards Trump be enough to overcome culture war liabilities? Since Michigan is a swing state in presidential elections, this race will tell us a great deal about whether a conspicuously left leaning Democrat has a real chance to win in 2028.