The 5 most interesting Senate races right now
The 2016 Senate battlefield is still evolving, and the most interesting races, candidates and trends will remain in flux until Election Day. In an attempt to help you digest the campaign along the way, Paste BN will offer periodic takes on the most interesting things happening in Senate races.
Maryland: Van Hollen’s haul
Democratic Rep. Chris Van Hollen is working to lock up his status as the early front-runner for his party’s nomination to succeed Sen. Barbara Mikulski. On Wednesday, he reported a more than $1 million fundraising haul in the four weeks since Mikulski announced her retirement. Van Hollen has amassed a $2.5 million war chest to kick off what could be a wide-open and bruising primary. Rep. Donna Edwards is the only other candidate formally in the race — and she enjoys the backing of EMILY’s List, a group that helps Democratic women who support abortion rights. At least a half dozen other contenders could still jump in.
Indiana: Bayh’s buzz
Former senator Evan Bayh probably won’t attempt a comeback now that Republican Sen. Dan Coats is retiring, but until he offers a Sherman-esque refusal to run, his actions suggest it might -- just might --remain a possibility. Not only is Bayh sitting on $10 million in his campaign account, but he made a point to weigh in on Indiana’s controversial Religious Freedom Restoration Act. "Every day this is left to fester out there, our state is held up to further damage and attack, so clearly something needs to be done," Bayh told The Huffington Post. Which is exactly what a Democratic candidate for the Senate might say.
California: The GOP ballot
Fact is, the top Democrat that emerges from California's open primary -- state Attorney General Kamala Harris is the early front-runner -- will be the prohibitive favorite to win the Senate seat next year. But that doesn’t mean Republicans aren’t going to put up a fight. At least six Republicans have jumped into the race, including two former state GOP party chairmen, Tom Del Beccaro and Duf Sundheim, and Assemblyman Rocky Chavez. Any Republican in California will face an uphill battle running statewide, but the debate might shine a light on what West Coast conservatism looks like in 2016.
Wisconsin: The rematch
GOP Sen. Ron Johnson may get a chance to prove his 2010 Tea Party-fueled upset victory over Democratic Sen. Russ Feingold wasn’t a fluke. A Johnson-Feingold rematch may be the Senate do-over both Republicans and Democrats alike are angling for the most in 2016. Feingold hasn’t announced, but he’s traveling the state to gauge support for a bid. Johnson, who self-funded nearly $9 million of his own money in 2010, has announced he won’t self-finance again. Johnson will report a $1.2 million first quarter haul to kick off the cycle.
Arizona: Retirement watch
Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., told CNN in December that he would “most likely” run for re-election, but it’s April and he still hasn’t made a firm announcement about his political future. By comparison, McCain made clear by November 2008 that he would run again in 2010. If McCain opts to retire, he would avoid a potentially nasty GOP primary and trigger an open-seat general election race, and it would continue a steady stream of exits among the Senate’s longest-serving, and best-known, legislators. In recent elections, the Senate has averaged about six retirements. So far in 2016, just four senators have announced they will not run again.