Sen. Gary Peters (D-Mich.) has been tapped for a second tour of duty as chairman of the Democratic Party committee tasked with electing Democrats to the Senate, a prospect he initially resisted.
Peters was lauded for his work leading the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee last year, as the party defied expectations by picking up a net of one seat in the Senate during a cycle in which they were expected to lose ground because of high inflation and President Biden’s unpopularity.
But the map is more daunting in 2024, as more Democrats will be defending seats in competitive states.
Twenty-three members of the Democratic caucus are up for reelection in 2024, compared with 11 Republicans. The states Democrats will be defending include Ohio, Montana, West Virginia and Michigan. Last week, Sen. Debbie Stabenow (D-Mich.) announced that she would not seek reelection, creating an open seat in the swing state.
Peters becomes the first Senate Democrat to lead the campaign organization in back-to-back cycles since Senate Majority Leader Charles E. Schumer (D-N.Y.) did so during the 2006 and 2008 elections. The announcement of Peters’s position was delayed beyond those of other senators holding party leadership positions.
“Gary is a battle-tested, proven winner whose hard work led Senate Democrats to defy the political odds and to one of our best midterm results in recent history. Under his leadership we will continue our campaign victories in 2024,” Schumer said in a statement.
Schumer also announced that Sens. Tina Smith (Minn.) and Alex Padilla (Calif.) will serve as DSCC co-chairs.
Republicans highlighted the difficulty of Peters’s task in a news release.
“Congratulations to Gary Peters on securing the worst job in Washington,” National Republican Senatorial Committee spokeswoman Maggie Abboud said. “He has his work cut out for him!”