Summer 2018

13 Summer 2018 PUBLIC POLICY Key Senate Races to Watch North Dakota Heidi Heitkamp and Kevin Cramer Democrat Heidi Heitkamp, former state attorney general, was elected to the Senate in 2012. A moderate, Heitkamp just voted to confirm Trump’s chosen Secretary of State Mike Pompeo. Republican Rep. Kevin Cramer, has decided to run after some back and forth with the GOP establishment. Now that Cramer is in, this will be a close race. He’s allied himself closely with Trump, particularly on key state issues. President Trump won in North Dakota with 63 percent of the vote. Indiana Joe Donnelly and Mike Braun A former representative, Democrat Joe Donnelly was elected to the Senate in 2012. He has worked to set himself apart from the Democratic establishment in Washington, having worked on regulatory relief legislation, and is ranked as one of the most bipartisan Senators. Republican State legislator Mike Braun topped Reps. Todd Rokita and Luke Messer in the May 8 primary. This is Vice President Mike Pence’s home state. Trump won with 56 percent of the vote in 2016. West Virginia Joe Manchin and Patrick Morrisey Democrat Joe Manchin, elected to the Senate in 2010, was previously governor and secretary of state. Manchin is fairly mod- erate, or even conservative by Democratic standards, having voted against Obamacare repeal and the Republican tax bill. Republican Attorney General Patrick Morrisey prevailed in the May 8 primary, beating Don Blankenship, a former coal baron who ran a company found to be violating federal safety regulations when a mining accident killed 29 people, and avoiding a disaster for DC Republicans. Morrisey ran on his record as attorney general, where he sued the Obama administration repeatedly over environ- mental regulations and other federal rules, positioning himself as the conservative outsider in the race. Morrisey is also a former congressional staff member who worked on the House Energy and Com- merce Committee. Trump won in West Virginia with 68 percent of the vote, his highest margin in the country. Nevada Jacky Rosen and Dean Heller A computer programmer and software developer before entering politics, Demo- crat Rep. Jacky Rosen was elected to the House of Representatives in 2016. Republican Dean Heller was elected to the Senate in 2012. Known for his bipartisan work in the Senate and for his refusal to endorse Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump in 2016, Heller has found himself under siege from right and left. President Trump lost Nevada by a small margin in 2016. Arizona Kyrsten Sinema and Kelli Ward Democrat Kyrsten Sinema was elected to the House of Representatives in 2012. She is seen as someone who works with Repub- licans in Congress, just as she had done in the GOP-dominated Arizona legislature. Republican State Senator Kelli Ward entered politics in 2012 when she was elected to the Arizona State Senate. While serving two terms in office, she continued to practice medicine in Arizona emergency departments. President Trump won Arizona is a close race in 2016. Missouri Claire McCaskill, Josh Hawley, and Eric Greitens A cancer survivor, Democrat Claire McCaskill was elected to the Senate in 2006. State Attorney General Josh Hawley is a Republican. Missouri’s Republican governor, Eric Greitens, is ensnared in several differ- ent scandals—one in which he’s accused of sexual misconduct, another involving a veterans’ charity. Republicans in the state want him out right now, none more so than Hawley, who is doing everything he can to remove Greitens. President Trump got 56 percent of the vote in 2016. Tennessee Phil Bredesen and Marsha Blackburn Democrat Phil Bredesen is a former governor who won reelection in the state with 69 percent of the vote 12 years ago. Republican Rep. Marsha Blackburn was elected to her 8th term to the House of Representatives in 2016. Blackburn is seen as a fighter, one who has spent much of her time in Congress on the front lines of some of the most sensitive battlefields in American politics. President Trump won the state in 2016 with over 60 percent of the vote. Florida Bill Nelson and Rick Scott Democrat, and former astronaut, Bill Nelson was elected to the Senate in 2000. As a governor, Republican Gov. Rick Scott, is quite popular. This race in Florida is likely to be the most expensive of 2018. President Trump eked out a 49-47 win in 2016.