Republicans can't blame candidate quality if they lose the Senate

Among the many reasons Republicans blamed for their lackluster performance in the 2022 midterm elections, especially in Senate races, was a lack of top-notch candidates due in part to the party’s unwillingness to get involved in messy primary races.

Thus, when Sen. Steve Daines (R-MT) in January 2023 took over the National Republican Senatorial Committee, the Senate GOP’s campaign arm, he followed a much different playbook than the one adhered to by his predecessor, Sen. Rick Scott (R-FL). He has aggressively recruited candidates that he sees as having the clearest pathway to victory and has put the full weight of the NRSC behind them.