by Garrett FriskAs Diamond Eye Candidate Report previously noted, IT professional Raymond McKay was the first Republican to declare for the 2024 Rhode Island Senate race. For months, McKay had the Republican primary himself as he seeks to take on incumbent Democratic Senator Sheldon Whitehouse, who is running for re-election to a fourth term in office. However, McKay now has company, as a polarizing figure in Rhode Island politics has joined the race; Patricia Morgan, who has served in the Rhode Island House of Representatives for over a decade, declared her campaign earlier this month. Morgan was first elected to the state House in 2010 by a small margin, and continued winning close races to keep her seat. In 2016, she rose to the position of House Minority Leader, and declared she'd run for governor in 2018. However, she lost the primary to former Cranston mayor Allan Fung by a 16-point margin. Disapproving of Fung, Morgan bucked her party by endorsing independent candidate Joe Trullo in the general election, and was removed from her position as Minority Leader only a few hours later. Democrat James Jackson flipped the state House seat that Morgan had left behind to run for governor, but she returned in 2020 and unseated him to return to the legislature. Since then, Morgan has attracted controversy multiple times, including her 2021 tweet claiming that she lost "a black friend" due to critical race theory. Due to Morgan's icy relationship with her party, it's unlikely that the Republican establishment will back her, but she still stands a strong chance of winning the primary. Her campaign website can be found here. by Garrett FriskLike numerous other states, Georgia may not use the same maps in 2024 that it used in 2022. Accusations that the state's congressional maps are racially gerrymandered have accelerated in the wake of the landmark Merrill v. Milligan Supreme Court case, and an ongoing lawsuit seeks to force a redraw of the districts in the Atlanta area. However, that hasn't stopped numerous candidates from readying their campaigns for the 2024 cycle. Here are some of the U.S. House candidates in Georgia who have yet to be covered by other media sources: In the 2nd district, firefighter Tracy Taylor is challenging longtime Democratic incumbent Sanford Bishop. Taylor, who formerly served as chair of the Dougherty County Republican Party, briefly ran in the Republican primary for this district in 2022; however, he dropped out to instead run for the 13th district of the Georgia state house, losing in the general election with 34.9% of the vote. Bishop, meanwhile, won a 16th term with 55.0% of the vote. Taylor's campaign website can be found here. In the 3rd district, retired procurement executive and former police officer Jim Bennett is launching a primary challenge against incumbent Republican Drew Ferguson. Bennett is a self-described "Constitutional Conservative" who advocates for limited government. He will have a hard time unseating Ferguson; after winning a close primary runoff against state senator Mike Crane in 2016, Ferguson has never come close to losing his primary. Whoever wins the primary will have no trouble prevailing in the general election, as Ferguson was re-elected with 68.8% of the vote in 2022. Bennett's website can be found here. In the 6th district, mechanical engineer Shelly Abraham is running in the Democratic primary. Abraham's platform includes "student loan and college tuition reform, removal of healthcare beaurocracy [sic] with a single payer public option and a focus on increasing our housing supply with starter homes." The incumbent is freshman Republican Rich McCormick, who was elected with 62.2% of the vote in 2022. Abraham faces an uphill battle, but this district is the most likely to be targeted by the redistricting lawsuit, so his path to victory could improve. Abraham's website can be found here. In the 7th district, self-described moderate Republican Jeff Criswell is challenging incumbent Democrat Lucy McBath. Criswell founded a baseball importing company that he later sold to Dick's Sporting Goods, and more recently worked as a teacher. He calls himself "a conservative leader who will bring a common-sense, centrist perspective to Georgia's 7th Congressional District." He may struggle to sell that perspective to the voters of the 7th district, who gave McBath 61.1% of the vote in her 2022 re-election campaign. Criswell's website can be found here. In the 12th district, two Democrats have signed up to run against incumbent Republican Rick Allen. The first is youth mentor Daniel Jackson, while the second is political organizer Rashaad Jones. Both men served in the Army. Jackson says he is running because "the 12th Congressional District needs more quality opportunities to create meaningful economic upliftment in its underserved communities, and we need more investment in our rural communities to generate quality growth," while Jones says he will work "to ensure that the voices of his constituents are heard, their rights are protected, and needs met." Whoever wins the Democratic primary will face an uphill battle against Allen, who was re-elected with 59.6% of the vote in 2022. Jackson's website can be found here, while Jones's website can be found here. Finally, in the 14th district, recent Freedom Caucus expellee Marjorie Taylor Greene is facing a challenge from Democrat Tambrei Cash. Cash lists her most important issues as protecting Social Security, Medicare, and veterans benefits, reproductive rights, gun reform, fighting corruption, protecting the environment, tax reform, education, equality, universal healthcare, truth in journalism, regulations, term limits, affordable housing, crime, and mental health. Due to Taylor Greene's infamy among Democrats, this primary will likely attract several more candidates and potentially tens of millions of dollars. Whoever prevails will face steep odds in the general election, as Taylor Greene turned back her 2022 opponent with 65.9% of the vote. Cash's website can be found here. by Garrett FriskThe primary purpose of Diamond Eye Candidate Report is to bring attention to candidates who haven't otherwise received any news coverage, especially congressional candidates. But ironically, the people whose declarations of candidacy most often go unreported are the incumbent members of Congress themselves. Some incumbents send out a press release confirming their re-election plans, but most quietly file their paperwork without making an announcement; in many cases, nobody knows for sure that a member of Congress is seeking re-election until the final candidate list is released. That's why Diamond Eye Candidate Report emailed the office of every member of Congress who has yet to publicly announce whether they'll seek another term in 2024 to determine who has and hasn't made up their mind. This article will be continuously updated as more offices get back to us. As of now, these are the responses we have gotten: Running for re-election
Still deciding
by Garrett FriskDespite high hopes, California Democrats suffered numerous high-profile losses last year. However, one bright spot came in the 49th district, where incumbent Democrat Mike Levin won a third term with 52.6% of the vote. Levin, an environmental attorney, first entered politics in 2018 when he announced his run for the then-vacant 49th district, where incumbent Republican Darrell Issa chose not to seek re-election (though Issa was elected to represent a different House district in 2020). Levin went on to win new terms in 2020 and 2022, defeating former San Juan Capistrano mayor Bryan Maryott both times. The progressive has proven his ability to win in a swing district, and national Democrats will likely be relieved to hear that he plans to stick around. When Diamond Eye Candidate Report reached out to Levin's team asking if he was planning on running for re-election in 2024, they wrote back one word: "Yes." by Garrett FriskMichigan is a mid-sized state, with 13 congressional districts. The state will be hotly contested in 2024, with closely-watched contests in the 3rd, 7th, 8th, and 10th congressional districts, not to mention the open Senate race and the presidential contest. However, outside of those key races, two candidates have announced their intention to challenge an incumbent Republican U.S. Representative. In the 2nd district, Democrat Michael Lynch is challenging incumbent Republican John Moolenaar. Lynch, a marketing director and educator, describes himself as "a lifelong advocate for working- and middle-class families" who "has made guaranteeing access to affordable, quality health care for all Michiganders, particularly those in rural areas, a top priority." He faces an uphill battle against Moolenaar, who was re-elected with 63.7% of the vote in 2022. Lynch's campaign website can be found here. In the 9th district, factory worker Jeffrey Jowske is back to finish what he started. Jowske ran for this district in 2020 back when it was numbered as the 10th district, but dropped out before the Republican primary due to the constraints of his work schedule. After Jowske's withdrawal, fellow Republican Lisa McClain prevailed in this very conservative district; McClain was re-elected with 63.9% of the vote in 2022. Jowske spent 24 years in prison for "second-degree murder, escape while awaiting trial, escape from prison, possessing a weapon as a prisoner and assault of a prison employee"; he was released in 2017. Jowske, who maintains his innocence, is now waging a primary challenge against McClain. His website can be found here. by Garrett FriskIn previous articles, Diamond Eye Candidate Report has profiled the Democrats running against incumbent Republican Senator Ted Cruz in Texas. And though most Democrats have avoided the race due to the dominating frontrunner status of U.S. Representative Colin Allred, not all of them have been scared off. State senator Roland Gutierrez is expected to announce his candidacy this month, and two other Democrats have recently entered the race as well. The first is Thierry Tchenko, who works as the Chief Communications and Programs Officer at Rebuilding Together Houston, a nonprofit that provides free home repairs for underprivileged families. Tchenko previously served as a fellow in the Executive Office of the President, worked on Joe Biden's 2020 presidential campaign, and was the associate director of the District of Columbia Executive Office of Policy under mayor Muriel Bowser. Tchenko's campaign website can be found here. The second Democrat in the running is Victor Dunn, a workers compensation consultant. Dunn previously ran for Texas's 1st congressional district in 2022, losing the primary runoff by a 75.9% to 24.1% margin. His website can be found here. by Garrett FriskA new candidate has entered the Republican primary for Virginia's 2024 U.S. Senate race; Gwen Hickman, an attorney who operates her own law firm, has filed with the FEC and declared her campaign. Hickman describes herself as "an attorney of over 30 years in immigration, injury and criminal defense law" who has "successfully negotiated, mediated and resolved difficult, critical issues for Virginians from diverse backgrounds." She joins a Republican primary that currently includes author Jonathan Emord, financial advisor Eddie Garcia, and Club for Growth vice president Scott Parkinson, the current frontrunner. Incumbent Democratic Senator Tim Kaine is running for re-election; Kaine was most recently re-elected with 57.0% of the vote in 2018. Hickman's campaign website can be found here. by Garrett FriskSenator Amy Klobuchar is something of an electoral powerhouse in the state of Minnesota. In her 2018 re-election campaign, she took 60.3% of the vote in the general election, winning every congressional district in the state; in the simultaneous special election for Minnesota's other Senate seat, Democratic nominee Tina Smith took only 53.0% of the vote. Even though Klobuchar's 2020 presidential campaign was a failure, her electoral strength in her home state is hard to doubt; with this in mind, it's not difficult to see why no prominent Republicans have announced they'll run against Klobuchar in 2024 or even expressed interest in doing so. However, there are two lesser-known Republicans who have announced they'll take the plunge and take on Klobuchar. The first is John Berman, an engineer who has run for U.S. Senate in three different states. In 2020, Berman in the Republican Senate primaries in both Minnesota and Kansas; he polled 6.6% of the vote in the former primary and 0.2% in the latter. He then ran in the general election in Minnesota as a write-in candidate, receiving 2 votes. In 2022, he attempted to run in three states' Republican Senate primaries: New Hampshire, Ohio, and Wisconsin. However, he only reached the ballot in the former state, winning 0.7% of the vote. Berman's campaigns are part of a movement he calls "Make America Geeky Again," whose goal is to "disable (and ultimately eradicate) the lawyer monopoly." Now, Berman says, his movement "returns to Minnesota against Klobuchar." Berman's campaign website can be found here. The second is Patrick Munro, who operates a lawn and landscaping services company. Like Berman, Munro is far from a first-time candidate; after losing a Republican primary for state senate in 2010, he ran for U.S. Senate in 2014, taking 2.8% in the primary. Munro then launched three straight primary challenges to Republican U.S. Representative Tom Emmer; his best performance was in 2020, when he polled 12.9% of the vote in the primary. Munro appears to have sat out 2022, but now he's back, and has launched a Senate campaign website for 2024. by Garrett FriskWhen Idaho realtor David Roth won the Democratic primary for U.S. Senate in 2022, he probably didn't expect to win the general election. After all, Idaho is a deeply conservative state, and Roth's only prior political experience was a 2020 campaign for an Idaho State House seat where he took 34.9% of the vote in the general election. But it had to be someone taking up the mantle for the party, and this time it was Roth; as expected, he polled only 28.74% of the vote against incumbent Republican Mike Crapo. Undeterred, Roth has announced he will mount another campaign in 2024; this time, he will run for U.S. House in the 2nd congressional district, challenging Republican incumbent Mike Simpson. Roth's website can be found here. Simpson has had a long career in politics, dating back to his election to the Blackfoot City Council in 1980. He then joined the Idaho State House in 1984, where he would serve 14 years, the last six as House Speaker. Simpson first ran for the 2nd congressional district in 1998, when the incumbent--none other than Mike Crapo--retired to run for Senate. Simpson narrowly claimed the Republican nomination over fellow state representative Mark Stubbs before beating out former U.S. Representative Richard Stallings by an 8-point margin in the general election. After that, Simpson never again faced a competitive general election, not even when Stallings returned for a rematch in 2014. Most recently, Simpson won re-election with 63.59% of the vote in 2022. Once again, David Roth finds himself in an uphill battle. by Garrett FriskRepublican Kevin Hern has represented Oklahoma's 1st district in the U.S. House since 2019. The previous year, he successfully claimed the seat of retiring U.S. Representative Tim Bridenstine, defeating former Tulsa County district attorney Tim Harris in the Republican primary runoff ahead of an easy general election win against the Democratic nominee, former Oklahoma State Board of Education member Tim Gilpin. Hern's time in office has been mostly uneventful, aside from receiving multiple protest votes during the contentious 2023 House Speaker election. Hern was re-elected with 61.9% of the vote in 2022, after which he was chosen to chair the Republican Study Committee. Two Democrats have already thrown their hat into the ring to challenge Hern in the 2024 election. The first is Sarah Gray, who describes herself as "a mom, auntie, small business owner, and relentless advocate for fairness, justice & community." Gray operates a public relations firm whose past clients include the Oklahoma Democratic Party. She would be the first Native American woman and first millennial to represent Oklahoma in Congress. Her campaign website can be found here. The second Democrat in the running is Dennis Baker, an attorney and former FBI agent. Baker lists his top priorities as "jobs that pay a living wage, good public schools, affordable college, access to health care for everyone, and a safe community." His website can be found here. |
Categories
All
|
Copyright © 2023