In & Out: Trio of longtime Dem senators elected same year were voted out in 2024
In a stunning blow to the Democratic Party, a trio of long-serving senators who were all elected during the blue-wave 2006 midterm cycle lost their re-election bids this week, as the GOP regained control of the Senate. Pennsylvania Sen. Bob Casey, Ohio Sen. Sherrod Brown, and Montana Sen. Jon Tester have been stalwarts of the Democratic Party since they were sworn in back in 2007, but they met their Senate careers’ end this week as they faced tough challenges from Republican opponents.
The Republican Party secured a majority in the Senate, holding 53 seats as of Thursday afternoon, as projected by Fox News. Sen. Bob Casey of Pennsylvania was projected to lose his race against Republican challenger Dave McCormick in a tight contest. McCormick managed to edge out Casey by a small margin, leading to his victory in the race. The Casey name has deep roots in Pennsylvania, with his father, Bob Casey Sr., having served as the state’s governor from 1987 to 1995.
In Ohio, Sen. Sherrod Brown, who has been in politics for over five decades and served in the Senate since 2007, was defeated by GOP challenger Bernie Moreno. Despite his efforts to distance himself from President Biden on certain issues, Brown’s voting record aligned closely with the administration, contributing to his loss in a state where Trump carried by a significant margin.
Sen. Jon Tester of Montana, a three-term senator who managed to hold a blue seat in a predominantly red state for nearly two decades, also faced defeat in his re-election bid. Tester, a farmer from Big Sandy, first won his Senate seat in 2006, portraying himself as a rural American who championed gun rights and law enforcement funding. However, former Navy SEAL Tim Sheehy, a Republican, managed to unseat Tester in a closely watched race in the 2024 cycle.
The loss of these three long-standing Democratic senators marks a significant shift in the Senate’s composition, with the GOP now holding the majority. The defeats serve as a wake-up call for the Democratic Party, highlighting the need to reassess their strategies and messaging to regain lost ground in future elections. As the dust settles on the 2024 elections, both parties will need to regroup and prepare for the challenges that lie ahead in the political landscape.
