Sen. Steve Daines (R-MT), the chairman of the upper chamber’s GOP campaign arm, said he believes former President Donald Trump could be an asset in the party‘s quest to take back control of the Senate in 2024.
Daines’s endorsement of Trump came after a disappointing election cycle for Republicans. Some blamed the former president for supporting candidates who performed poorly in the general election, causing Democrats to expand their majority by a seat. They included losing GOP Senate candidates Adam Laxalt in Nevada, Blake Masters in Arizona, Dr. Mehmet Oz in Pennsylvania, and Herschel Walker in Georgia.
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Daines doesn’t see it that way in 2024.
“He wants to win. I want to win,” Daines said of Trump in an interview with NBC News on Thursday. “The most important thing we can give our next Republican president is a Republican majority in the Senate.”
The head of the National Republican Senatorial Committee has had a close relationship with the former president and his son, Eric. In the interview, Daines admitted he speaks with Trump regularly about the 2024 cycle.
“We dialogue a fair amount, just talking about the various states and where his support could help significantly in terms of getting behind candidates who can win primaries and general elections,” Daines said.
The map of Senate seats up for election in 2024 is favorable for Republicans. Twenty Democratic-held seats are up, as are the three held by independents who caucus with the Democrats. Just 10 seats controlled by the Republicans will be on the ballot. Some Republican strategists see Daines aligning with Trump as a positive strategic move ahead of the 2024 cycle.
“The relationship was already there,” said Republican strategist Brian Walsh. “For [Daines] to have a constructive relationship with him and maybe be able to talk to him about the races and concerns about certain candidates, it’s better for him to have that conversation than not.”
Daines has made it clear that he is more willing to take sides in Republican primaries, a departure from NRSC policy in the 2022 cycle. The Montana Republican helped to recruit West Virginia Gov. Jim Justice, who announced his candidacy Thursday. Justice will face a primary against Rep. Alex Mooney (R-WV), and the winner will likely take on Sen. Joe Manchin (D-WV), who has yet to announce whether he will run for reelection.
Daines is also working to recruit Tim Sheehy to run for Senate in Montana. Sheehy is a successful businessman and a military veteran who is the founder of Bridger Aerospace, valued at $869 million last year. Trump has not weighed in on either of these races yet.
As soon as former Gov. Mitch Daniels (R-IN) decided in early February not to run for Senate in Indiana to replace retiring Sen. Mike Braun (R-IN), Daines quickly pledged to work with Rep. Jim Banks (R-IN), whom he called “one of our top recruits this cycle.” Daines’s quasi-endorsement of Banks effectively cleared the field for Banks. Rep. Victoria Spartz (R-IN), who was considering an Indiana Senate run, announced that she will retire and not run for office at all in 2024.
Republicans are increasingly concerned with the situation in Arizona. Kari Lake, a Republican former news anchor who lost a race for governor of Arizona last year, has been considering a run for Senate next year. Trump endorsed Lake’s failed gubernatorial attempt, and there’s been speculation he could be considering her as a vice presidential candidate if he should again win the Republican nomination.
“I think one of the top concerns many should have is Kari Lake running for Senate in Arizona,” said a Republican speaking on condition of anonymity. “I don’t think anyone can have any influence over whether the president endorses her or not, but her candidacy cost Republicans that seat. There’s no question about it.”
Republicans across the country admit a Trump presidential nomination could hurt the GOP’s chances of winning Senate races in states President Joe Biden won in 2020, such as Wisconsin, Nevada, Pennsylvania, Michigan, and Arizona.
“That’s a separate issue from the Daines endorsement. As I’ve said, I’m part of that group that would like to move on and get a different nominee because I think there are a lot of negatives that are not necessarily helpful for us in winning elections and governing going forward,” said Saul Anuzis, a Republican strategist and former Michigan GOP chairman. “I think there’s always that possibility that a Trump candidacy could be detrimental to down-ticket races. In some cases, it might be helpful.”
Presenting a stark contrast to Daines, Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) is staying out of the Republican primary campaign for president. In the past, McConnell has openly feuded with Trump when he voiced concerns about “candidate quality” in Republicans’ pursuit to gain control of the Senate, a reference to GOP nominees endorsed by the former president.
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McConnell continues to dodge questions about Trump from reporters and neglects to talk about Trump in public.
“My principal focus and most of my colleagues’ principal focus is on trying to get the Senate,” McConnell said to a reporter who asked about Trump this week during a press conference.
