Despite the uptick in enthusiasm after the Democrats swapped the top of their ticket, several of the party’s at-risk lawmakers are slated to be no-shows at the Democratic National Convention (DNC), Punchbowl News reported on Thursday.
Since President Joe Biden dropped out of the race on July 21, making way for Vice President Kamala Harris and her newly announced running mate Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, while the party has seen a boost in both polling and electoral optimism. However, some vulnerable Democrats in purple states have decided to stay out of the limelight and steer clear of the DNC, which is scheduled to begin in Chicago on August 19, according to Punchbowl.
Democrat Sens. Sherrod Brown of Ohio and Jon Tester of Montana have both opted out of attending the convention in Chicago later this month, Punchbowl reported. Democratic Sen. Jacky Rosen of Nevada, who will be campaigning alongside Harris and Walz this Saturday, is also reportedly skipping out on the DNC.
Both Brown and Rosen’s Republican challengers have narrowed the incumbent’s polling advantages to single digits. Tester is now trailing his challenger Tim Sheehy, with the latest Hill/Emerson College poll from Thursday putting the senator at a two point disadvantage.
On the House side, Democratic Reps. Yadira Caraveo of Colorado, Jared Golden of Maine, Josh Harder of California and Marie Gluesenkamp Perez of Washington are also passing on the DNC, according to Punchbowl. All four representatives are listed on the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee’s (DCCC) list of “frontline members,” which is a list of the most competitive seats that will need “help to get across the finish line in November.”
Other frontliners like Reps. Marcy Kaptur of Ohio, Susie Lee of Nevada, Matt Cartwright of Pennsylvania and Susan Wild of Pennsylvania told Punchbowl that their schedules “aren’t yet finalized for convention week.” However, some vulnerable Democratic frontliners like Rep. Mike Levin of California and Rep. Don Davis of North Carolina are slated to attend the Chicago convention.
Some swing-state Democrats like Sen. Bob Casey of Pennsylvania told Punchbowl that he intends on attending part of the convention. Democratic Sen. Tammy Baldwin of Wisconsin confirmed to the Daily Caller News Foundation that she is also planning to attend, and will follow up the convention with a statewide tour through the week.
Both senators have narrowly held onto their polling advantages, with Casey ahead of Republican challenger Dave McCormick by five points, and Baldwin leading GOP candidate Eric Hovde by seven points.
The offices of Brown, Caraveo, Golden, Harder, Perez, Kaptur, Lee, Cartwright, Wild, Levin, Davis, Casey, as well as Tester and Rosen’s campaigns did not immediately respond to a request for comment from the Daily Caller News Foundation.
Featured image credit: Sen. Sherrod Brown. Photo: Apollo Alliance
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