bows out of<\/a> a fourth term, some strategists privately worry that her state\u2019s new election system could help Democrats compete in a reliably red area. <\/p>\nThen there\u2019s Senate Minority Whip John Thune (R-S.D.), who has been targeted by former President Donald Trump and is in position to compete for eventually succeeding Mitch McConnell as GOP leader. Thune put his timeline this way: “I\u2019m not in any rush.\u201d Trump has threatened to primary him and attacked the Senate infrastructure bill; Thune voted against it this week. <\/p>\n
Grassley has laid out the firmest timeline, saying in a recent interview that he\u2019d decide by mid-October. The other four incumbents all replied that modern campaigns are too long and they are loath to start their reelection bids 15 months before Election Day. <\/p>\n
National Republican Senatorial Committee Chair Rick Scott (R-Fla.) said he felt confident about retaining all four of his undecided incumbents: \u201cI\u2019ll be surprised if any of them retire.\u201d Other Republicans say that by virtue of math it seems likely someone else heads for the exits. <\/p>\n
\u201cThe indication from what most do here is: They\u2019ll run again,\u201d said Sen. Mike Braun (R-Ind.). \u201cI would guess that three out of the four [Republicans] would end up running, including Johnson.\u201d<\/p>\n
Braun added that Grassley is a special case, considering his age of 87 years: \u201cI know what I\u2019d be doing. I\u2019d be back on the farm picking weeds at least. Doing something. I would not be here.\u201d<\/p>\n
Grassley and Johnson have already drawn challengers back home, with a crowded primary field brewing on the Democratic side in Wisconsin. Former Rep. Abby Finkenauer (D-Iowa) is running for Grassley\u2019s seat in Iowa, which has trended red in recent elections.<\/p>\n
\u201cI can only think about what my job is,\u201d Grassley said. \u201cI don\u2019t pay any attention to what other people are doing.\u201d<\/p>\n
In Alaska, Trump is coming after Murkowski by endorsing conservative opponent Kelly Tshibaka. Some of the ex-president’s former advisers are helping the onetime Alaska Department of Administration commissioner in her bid to defeat Murkowski, who was a key negotiator on the bipartisan infrastructure bill Trump hates.<\/p>\n
The state\u2019s new top-four primary, followed by a ranked-choice general election, insulates Murkowski from a repeat of her 2010 primary loss thanks to resistance from hardcore partisans (she ended up winning the race as a write-in). But it also offers plenty of uncertainty, as former Republican Gov. Sarah Palin flirts with a Senate bid and Democrats search for a candidate who could consolidate their vote amid a split GOP. <\/p>\n
\u201cI believe that if I run, I will win. I don\u2019t see that playing out any other way,\u201d Murkowski said in an interview, shrugging off the choice ahead of her.<\/p>\n
Vermont is as blue as it gets in congressional races, but even so there\u2019s plenty of intrigue as Leahy makes up his mind. For one, Leahy could break the all-time record for Senate service if he wins another six-year term. He\u2019s also in the line of succession now as president pro tempore, a post held by the most senior senator in the majority party. Combined with his Appropriations Committee chairmanship, Leahy\u2019s seniority has helped him rack up some of the most coveted real estate in the Capitol, a security detail and a large staff.<\/p>\n
Some Republicans hope that if Leahy bows out, popular Vermont GOP Gov. Phil Scott would consider running for the seat. Though the state votes Democratic in federal races, Scott has romped to a series of impressive wins in the Green Mountain State\u2019s gubernatorial contests. <\/p>\n
\u201cPhil Scott has endorsed me. And the latest polls showed me ahead of everybody in the state,\u201d Leahy said, reiterating he and his wife will make a decision on his political future while snowshoeing in Vermont this winter. <\/p>\n
\u201cI don\u2019t even want to talk about it. If I run, I\u2019ll be in good shape to run, and I\u2019ll win.\u201d<\/p>\n
Read More<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Source: Politics Ron Johnson\u2019s got a piece of advice for Republicans who want him to run for reelection: Don\u2019t work with Democrats on \u201ccrap\u201d like the bipartisan infrastructure bill. \u201cI\u2019m… <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":0,"featured_media":18047,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[6],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/cryptospotters.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/18046"}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/cryptospotters.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/cryptospotters.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/cryptospotters.net\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=18046"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"http:\/\/cryptospotters.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/18046\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/cryptospotters.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/18047"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/cryptospotters.net\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=18046"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/cryptospotters.net\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=18046"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/cryptospotters.net\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=18046"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}