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“Who Will Take the Lead? 5 of the Toughest Democratic Senate Seats up for Grabs in 2024!

As political strife continues to rage on in the United States, speculation has already begun about the state of the 2020 Congressional races. The Senate races in particular are the subject of much speculation, particularly in regards to the seats currently held by Democrats which are viewed as the most likely to flip in 2024. Looking at the current Senate landscape, there are five seats held by Democratic senators which are seen as the most likely to be lost by the party in the upcoming election. These five races are in Alaska, Arizona, Colorado, Maine and New Hampshire. The first of these seats is held by incumbent senator Mark Begich in Alaska. Though Begich has not yet announced whether he intends to run again, he was only recently elected in 2018 and Republicans are likely to contest the seat. The GOP has not held the seat since 1997 and views the state as being ripe for a return to power. The second seat in jeopardy is held by Kyrsten Sinema in Arizona. Republicans have been targeting the state since 2016 when sitting senator John McCain narrowly lost to Sinema in a very close race. The GOP is likely to throw their energies behind attempting to take the seat, on the hope that they can capitalize on the strongly conservative leaning of Arizona. The third seat is held by Michael Bennet in Colorado. Colorado is often seen as something of a political bellwether, representing a roughly even balance between the major parties. As such, this race could be viewed as a proxy for measuring the strength of the Democratic and Republican parties heading into the election. Fourth is the seat held by Angus King in Maine. King, who often sides with Democrats on key issues, may find himself challenged from both the left and right for the seat in 2024. With progressive challengers having made major gains in the state in recent years, King will need to be prepared to defend his left flank as he seeks to maintain the seat. Finally, there is the seat held by Jeanne Shaheen in New Hampshire. Republicans in the state are emboldened by recent gains they’ve made at the state level, and see the opportunity to take control of the Senate seat. Shaheen will need to be prepared to defend against the onslaught she is likely to face if she doesn’t retire before the 2024 election. It is still too early to say with any certainty which way any of these races will turn out in 2024. Nonetheless, Democrats should be wary of the strong challenge they are likely to face in these five most likely to flip Senate seats, and will need to secure strong, well-prepared candidates if they are to have any hope of retaining their majority.