Sen. Tammy Baldwin announced Wednesday she is running for reelection in Wisconsin, boosting the Democrats’ chances of defending the seat in the perennial battleground state.
Ms. Baldwin will be fighting for her political life in an election cycle in which Democrats will be defending 20 Senate seats and Republicans will be defending 11 seats.
“I’m committed to making sure that working people, not just the big corporations and ultra-wealthy, have a fighter on their side,” Ms. Baldwin said in a statement. “With so much at stake, from families struggling with rising costs to a ban on reproductive freedom, Wisconsinites need someone who can fight and win.”
Ms. Baldwin first won her seat in 2012 and won reelection in 2018. The Senate race in Wisconsin comes on the heels of a series of high-profile races that ended with mixed results for both parties.
Former President Donald Trump carried the state in 2016 by less than a point. President Biden did the same in 2020.
In 2022, Gov. Tony Evers, a Democrat, and Sen. Ron Johnson, a Republican, won reelection, giving both parties bragging rights.
Democrats, meanwhile, emerged victorious in the recent fundraising-shattering race for the state Supreme Court after Janet Protasiewicz defeated former Justice Dan Kelly by 11 points.
The Cook Political Report ranks Ms. Baldwin in the second tier of vulnerable Democrats, rating her race as “Lean D.”
That ranking puts her in the same camp as Sens. Bob Casey of Pennsylvania and Jon Tester of Montana, both of whom recently announced they were seeking another term.
The list of the most vulnerable senators up for reelection includes Kyrsten Sinema of Arizona, Jacky Rosen of Nevada, Sherrod Brown of Ohio and Joseph Manchin III of West Virginia.
Ms. Rosen and Mr. Brown are seeking reelection. The Wall Street Journal reported Wednesday that Ms. Sinema, a Democrat-turned-independent, is preparing to run for reelection.
Mr. Manchin, meanwhile, has refused to share his plans, saying he is putting off a decision until the end of the year.
Democrats also are defending an open seat in Michigan following the retirement announcement of Sen. Debbie Stabenow.
• Seth McLaughlin can be reached at smclaughlin@washingtontimes.com.