“2020’s Election Pivotal Point: Who Will Take the 5 Senate Seats Up For Grabs?

The 2020 election is still fresh on many people’s minds, yet the 2024 election cycle is also already looming. For the first time in a decade, the Democratic party has been able to hold a slight majority in the United States Senate. While this is a cause for celebration for progressive Democrats, the road ahead is still filled with challenges. Though the Democratic party holds a majority in the Senate, these slim margins are barely enough to make important policy changes and pass legislation. As the 2024 election cycle quickly approaches, there are five Democratic held Senate seats that are likely to flip in the election. The state of Arizona is at the top of the list. While Arizona is typically a state that leans to the right, the Democratic party put up an impressive fight in the recent election. Senator Mark Kelly won Arizona’s special election in 2020 with a razor-thin margin of 2.3%. Since then he has taken a centrist approach to his role in the Senate, leaning heavily towards the right. With Republican Governor Doug Ducey in place until at least 2022, there is a very real possibility that the Republicans can win back the Senate seat in the state. In addition to Arizona, the Senate seat of Georgia, held by Senator Raphael Warnock, is up for grabs in 2024. Warnock was the first African-American to be elected to the Senate from the state in 2021 and he is widely considered a vulnerable proposition for the next election. His progressive policies may prove to be out of touch with the traditionally conservative Georgia voters, making him a target for the Republicans in the upcoming election. Moving eastward, the Democratic controlled Senate seat of Georgia’s other senator, Jon Ossoff, is also up for grabs. Ossoff is more moderate than Warnock, but he has been a vocal proponent of progressive causes. It’s unclear how the state will respond to this in 2024, though the Republican challenger Kelly Loeffler, who lost to Warnock in 2020, is reportedly planning a comeback. The fourth state on the list to watch is Pennsylvania. The Keystone State has two Democrat-controlled Senate Seats, including Robert Casey’s Seat, which is up for grabs in 2024. Casey is fairly moderate compared to some of the other Democratic senators, but he is still in a vulnerable position as a Senator from a more conservative state. The Republicans have already nominated former Representative Lou Barletta to challenge Senator Casey in 2024. Finally, the fifth state on the list is Michigan. The state is currently represented by Senator Gary Peters, who is considered one of the most vulnerable senators in the United States. His seat is up for grabs in 2024 and the Republicans are already planning to put up a strong challenge to the Senator. The five states listed above are the ones to watch in the 2024 election cycle. All of them have Democratic-controlled Senate seats that are likely to flip in the election. Though the Democrats currently have a slight majority in the Senate, these slim margins make them vulnerable to a potential Republican takeover in 2024.