In the United States election, the Democratic Party has launched a fierce battle to maintain the 51:49 majority in the federal Senate. On Tuesday, June 4, the New Jersey Democratic Party is expected to nominate Congressman Andy Kim to compete for the Senate seat currently held by Robert Menendez, who is facing corruption charges.
In Montana, the Democratic Party will nominate Senator Jon Tester for reelection, marking one of the toughest campaigns the party has faced in order to maintain control of the Senate.
According to Reuters on Wednesday, after decades in office, longtime Senator Menendez will be absent for the first time in the Democratic primary. He plans to continue his candidacy as an independent.
Ross Baker, distinguished professor of American politics at Rutgers University, stated that Menendez is still very much beloved by the Cuban-American voters in New Jersey, often referred to as the “Havana on the Hudson.”
However, Baker added in a phone interview that Menendez’s chances as an independent candidate are unlikely to succeed. “Almost everyone has distanced themselves from him, including Governor Murphy and Senator Booker.”
Labor activist Patricia Campos Medina is seen as a major contender against Kim in the primary.
Republicans will also select a nominee for the Senate seat, with real estate developer and hotel operator Curtis Bashaw being a likely nominee.
The last time New Jersey had a Republican federal senator was in 1978.
Menendez’s 38-year-old son, Rob Menendez, is seeking reelection as a federal congressman for New Jersey. His main opponent, 50-year-old Hoboken Mayor Ravi Bhalla, has tailored campaign ads linking Rob to his controversial father.
Baker commented, “The young Menendez’s main burden is his surname, which until this year has been an advantage.”
This year, the Democratic Party is gearing up to defend six fiercely contested Senate seats in order to maintain a majority, as all the Republican incumbent senators are in safe and conservative states.
Montana is expected to be one of the most challenging battlegrounds for the Democratic Party, with current Senator Tester set to be nominated for a fourth term on Tuesday. He is a farmer from Montana.
Political analysts believe the competition will be between Tester and the Republican nominee, Tim Sheehy, a former Navy SEAL turned businessman who has the support of Trump.
Last Thursday, following Trump’s conviction, Sheehy’s campaign team ran ads claiming the trial was “political persecution supported by the nation led by Joe Biden and the radical left,” and that “Jon Tester supported Joe Biden’s witch hunt at every step.”
Tester’s campaign spokesperson, Monica Robinson, attacked Sheehy in an email, stating that he was originally from Minnesota and is “running for senator for himself, not for Montana.”
Robinson also highlighted that during Trump’s presidency, Tester successfully got over 20 bills signed into law by Trump.
Trump won Montana in the last two presidential elections, but his margin in 2020 was smaller than in 2016.
Christopher Muste, associate professor of political science at Montana University, said, “He (Tester) is a bit outdated.”
Muste added, “What we’re seeing is an unusual slow tide in the Republican Party, which really began in the late 2000s. This tide gradually eroded the strong bipartisan cooperation history in the Rocky Mountain states.”
However, there is one uncertain factor in this year’s election: the influx of new immigrants who recently moved to Montana, with most coming from California, Oregon, and Washington. These newcomers have driven up real estate prices, angering many Montanans, especially those on fixed incomes facing rising property taxes.
Muste noted that Tester may leverage this issue against Sheehy, as Sheehy is a wealthy immigrant. “He (Sheehy) symbolizes someone who came to the state with a lot of money and purchased extremely expensive real estate.”