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EXCLUSIVE: GOP Sen. John Thune of South Dakota says he is stepping up his efforts on the marketing campaign path this 12 months as a result of “this is our golden opportunity” to win again the Senate majority.
“It’s kind of really a make-or-break moment for Republicans in the Senate. If we don’t get it done this time, the next two cycles aren’t great for us,” Thune stated in an unique nationwide interview with Fox News.
Thune, who as Senate minority whip is the No. 2 GOP lawmaker within the chamber, emphasised that “we’ve got to maximize the opportunity we have this time around to get north of 50,” including that “it would be great to get well north of 50.”
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Sen. John Thune, R-S.D., the Senate minority whip, campaigns on behalf of Pennsylvania’s GOP Senate nominess Dave McCormick in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, on Monday.
Democrats, as they attempt to preserve or prolong their fragile 51-49 majority within the Senate, are enjoying loads of protection as they defend 23 of the 34 seats up for grabs in November.
One of these seats is in West Virginia, a deep crimson state that former President Trump carried by practically 40 factors in 2020. With average Democrat-turned-independent Sen. Joe Manchin, a former governor, not searching for re-election, flipping the seat is almost a positive factor for the GOP.
Republicans are additionally aiming to flip seats in Ohio and Montana, two states Trump comfortably carried 4 years in the past. And 5 extra Democrat-held seats up for grabs this 12 months are in essential general-election battleground states.
“We’re hoping we’re going to have the White House, that Trump will be successful, and the House, and if we can get the Senate, we’ll be in a position to do some things,” Thune emphasised.
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Thune says he is doing “everything we can” to assist fundraise and marketing campaign on behalf of Republican Senate nominees difficult incumbent Democrats “to get as many of these folks across the finish line as possible.”
The senator — who’s one among two prime contenders to succeed longtime Senate GOP chief Mitch McConnell, who’s stepping down from his management submit on the finish of the 12 months — was interviewed forward of a two-day marketing campaign swing earlier this week in Pennsylvania with GOP Senate nominee Dave McCormick.
“I’ve been out with a lot of the candidates,” he famous.
Sen. John Thune of South Dakota, proper, campaigns with Pennsylvania’s GOP Senate nominee Dave McCormick, left, in Lebanon, Pennsylvania, on Monday. (Friends of John Thune)
Thune stated he made stops earlier this summer season on the marketing campaign path in Arizona, Michigan and Ohio, and he attended six fundraising occasions within the nation’s capital final week for GOP Senate candidates earlier than heading to Minnesota on Thursday to headline one other finance occasion for Eric Hovde, the Republican Senate nominee in neighboring Wisconsin.
And he stated that he’ll be heading to Nevada and Utah later this month.
“Doing whatever we can to help the team, and a lot of that is just getting money in the bank so they can get their message out,” he stated.
As is custom in presidential election years, the battle on the prime of the ticket can affect Senate races one notch down the poll.
Asked how the substitute of President Biden with Vice President Kamala Harris on the prime of the Democrats’ ticket impacts the Senate races, Thune stated that “there’s no question it’s a new race, and our Senate candidates have to do the best they can to benefit from what happens at the top of the ticket.”
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But he additionally emphasised, “I still think the issue set is the same, and I think it’s going to be very hard for [Harris] to try and distance herself from the border and the inflationary spiral that’s been created by their policies… I think those issues are going to weigh heavily on voters’ minds. So if it’s about the issues, I think we are really well positioned to win and that should help down-ballot, too.”
Thune highlighted that GOP Senate candidates want “to run their own campaigns and define their opponents and define themselves in a way that creates a contrast. I’ve always maintained that elections are about differences, and the differences couldn’t be more stark between the two parties… I think our candidates have to capitalize on that.”
At the highest of the ticket, Trump has more and more attacked and insulted Harris over the previous two weeks.
But Thune is cautioning Senate candidates to not stray from the problems and “don’t take the bait” from the presidential race.
Republicans wasted an ideal alternative in 2022 to win again the Senate majority they misplaced within the 2020 elections. But Thune emphasised that “our side is doing a lot better job targeting voters this time around and making sure that we’re turning out and getting people to the polls way better than we did two years ago.”
Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., speaks with reporters after a gathering with fellow Republicans on the Capitol in Washington, D.C., on June 4. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)
As for his personal race in opposition to longtime Sen. John Cornyn of Texas — the earlier Senate GOP whip — to succeed McConnell, Thune stated he is “been sitting down and meeting with all of our incumbent senators about the leadership position, and also being out on the campaign trail with these candidates helps build relationships that I think will be important when that vote happens.”
Thune, who has served 20 years within the Senate, touted his personal legislative report of accomplishment and stated, “I think people are going to be looking for leadership that is able to produce results and get things done.”
“I hope to be able to make that argument when the time comes,” he added. “In the meantime, we’re just working on getting the majority.”
Get the most recent updates from the 2024 marketing campaign path, unique interviews and extra at our Fox News Digital election hub.
