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WASHINGTON (AP) — Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer is predicting that Democrats will keep control of the Senate in the November election and he feels “exhilarated and gratified” by the surge of enthusiasm with Vice President Kamala Harris atop the party's ticket.
Schumer, who played a pivotal role in talking privately with President Joe Biden before the incumbent's decision to end his reelection bid, appears more optimistic than Democrats have been in confronting a tough Senate map this election defending seats in states where Republican nominee Donald Trump is popular.
“We are so enthusiastic about the prospects of winning the presidency, keeping the Senate and winning the House,” Schumer, D-N.Y., said in an interview with The Associated Press.
He said the contrast with Republicans, especially in the aftermath of Trump questioning Harris' racial identity and his running mate JD Vance criticizing women without children, has been glaring.
“The best thing Donald Trump did since he won the nomination was pick Vance — for Democrats,” Schumer said of the Ohio senator.
What had been a dismal outlook for Senate Democrats has shifted dramatically in the short time since Harris took hold of the party, sending a surge of enthusiasm, donors and volunteers to the Senate races.
Republicans believe the Harris “honeymoon” will soon end, bringing down the Democrats’ chances to hold the Senate with it. Republicans are working to portray the likely presidential nominee as a California liberal out of touch with voters.
“If you like San Francisco politics, you’re going to love Kamala Harris,” Sen. Steve Daines, R-Mont., the chairman of the National Republican Senatorial Committee, told the AP. Harris was San Francisco's district attorney and California's attorney general before serving in the Senate.
What has been clear in the nearly two weeks since Biden’s exit shook up the presidential ticket is that the down-ballot races are recalibrating, adjusting to the new political reality barely three months before the election that will determine control of the presidency and Congress.
The Senate map had favored Republicans this election cycle. Democrats, with a one-seat majority, have more seats to defend, particularly in Montana, Ohio and other parts of the country where Trump is popular.
Democrats are almost certain to lose the West Virginia seat held by retiring Sen. Joe Manchin, who bowed out rather than face the popular Republican Jim Justice.
Republicans would need to pick up just one more Democratic-held seat to regain control, presuming they can retain seats where GOP incumbents are favored – in Texas, where Sen. Ted Cruz faces Democratic Rep. Colin Allred, and in Florida where Sen. Rick Scott faces Democratic Debbie Mucarsel-Powell, a former congresswoman.
Daines sees ample chances for Republicans to make gains in as many as 10 states where seats are held by Democrats and races are expected to be tight, particularly in Montana and Ohio, where Sens. Jon Tester and Sherrod Brown, respectively, are the most endangered Democrats. In Maryland, Republicans recruited former Gov. Larry Hogan for an open seat and he is facing Democrat Angela Alsobrooks, who is vying to become one of the few Black women to serve in the Senate.
“The Democrats have to pitch a perfect game. We have to win one of them,” Daines said. “I like our odds.”
Schumer believes Senate Democrats are holding their own as they run on the policies and legislation that Biden has pushed, including investments in infrastructure and manufacturing centers, and as they face Republican challengers tied to Trump and Vance.
With Harris heading the ticket, Schumer sees the chance for Democrats to capitalize on the energy and enthusiasm as “people are knocking down the doors” to volunteer for Senate campaigns.
Schumer said he was not necessarily surprised by the energy surrounding Harris' ascent, but acknowledged the turn of events happened so quickly.
Schumer had visited Biden privately at the president's beach home on a Saturday in mid-July after Democratic senators raised concerns in their own private meeting with the president's team following his debate performance against Trump.
Schumer said he felt obligated to talk with Biden directly and recounted that the two had a “very good meeting” and hugged at the end. He praised the work they had done together with Biden in the White House. A week later, on the following Sunday, Biden had exited the race.