Rep. Ruben Gallego, D-Ariz., has hardly hid his interest in running for Senate, even before Sen. Kyrsten Sinema announced she was leaving the Democratic Party. But as he told NBC News’ Ryan Nobles and Haley Talbot last night, he’s taking another step toward a bid.
“I’m a good Marine so I’ve been preparing for this, bringing people on, meeting the right people and, you know, making sure that we’re gonna be able to do — to be able to, you know, go right away [when] we make a decision,” he said.
Gallego went on to add that he believes if Sinema runs, “it will almost ensure the fact that the Senate seat will stay in Democratic hands” because of the GOP’s struggles to hold its coalition together (that’s no sure thing).
And he said he’ll make his decision sometime in 2023.
In other 2024 news…
WV-SEN: Sen. Joe Manchin, D-W.Va., hasn’t announced whether he’s running for re-election in 2024, but Republicans are already eyeing the seat as a top pick-up opportunity, with one candidate already in and others considering a run, NBC News’ Allan Smith reports.
Scott 2024 buzz: Politico reports on how South Carolina Republican Sen. Tim Scott’s colleagues are abuzz about the prospect of him running for president.
Braun bid official: Indiana GOP Sen. Mike Braun is running for governor, and GOP Rep. Jim Banks is considering running to replace him.
Peters bows out: Michigan Democratic Sen. Gary Peters tells NBC News’ Julie Tsirkin that he is not going to serve another term as chair of the DSCC.
Dem doling out advice: Brian Stryker, a pollster for Democratic Gov. Gretchen Whitmer in her successful re-election bid, writes in a New York Times op-ed about how “Michigan offers a microcosm of American politics” and how Whitmer’s success proves the party can reject “false choices” like choosing between progressive/moderate or economy/abortion.
Candidate recruitment: With Republicans sporting a narrow House majority, Politico writes about how the party is working to avoid a shaky round of recruitment that could jeopardize its grip on the House.