Senate Republicans "Completely Unprepared" for 2024 Cycle
Senate Republican Leader John Curran is being criticized for a lack of political organization leading to the 2024 election cycle.
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Numerous Senate Republicans and GOP political insiders are privately sharing concerns about the preparedness of the Senate GOP campaign apparatus some 15 months before the 2024 election.
We told you last week Senate Republicans are at a significant cash disadvantage to supermajority Democrats. In campaign finance reports filed last week, Senate GOP Leader John Curran (R-Downers Grove) had about $653,000 cash on hand in the three committees he controls while Democratic Senate President Don Harmon had around $9.3 million in the two Senate committees he controls.
Republicans, meanwhile, have not hired an Executive Director for their “Senate Republican Victory Fund” campaign arm. Nick McNeely, who ran the GOP effort to net gains last year, was not retained.
Furthermore, Senators have not held a political caucus meeting since Curran took control of the Senate GOP in January.
“The [caucus] is absolutely directionless and completely unprepared for 2024,” said one source. “If we aren’t raising money, if we don’t have a campaign operation, if we aren’t targeting races now, we’re never going to make progress.”
Just six of 19 Senate Republicans have made contributions into the Senate GOP campaign arm this year, often referred to as caucus “dues.”
“I don’t see how Curran survives long term like this,” said another Republican insider.
A spokesperson for the Senate Republican campaign arm could not be reached Tuesday.
The Senate GOP only has four members up for re-election in 2024 (Bennett- now open, Bryant, Plummer, Stoller), who all come from safe GOP districts, so the Senate Republicans won’t be defending any seats. Of the 18 Senate Democrats on the ballot in 2024, only Sen. Patrick Joyce (D-Essex) represents a district President Biden won by fewer than ten points (6.9%) in 2020. Some Republicans believe embattled Sen. Mike Hastings (D-Frankfort) is in play. President Biden won that district by 13 points in 2020 and Hastings survived a challenge by 981 votes of around 83,000 votes cast last year. Sen. Steve Stadelman (D-Rockford) also represents a district Biden won by 13 points in 2020, though most don’t believe Stadelman is in danger.