The Horse Race: MAGA, but Electable: Republicans Bank on the Daines–Trump Alliance to Restore Senate Majority

The state of the campaign.

WITH BRITTANY BERNSTEIN & AUDREY FAHLBERG Wednesday, February 28, 2024 MAGA, but Electable: Republicans Bank on the Daines–Trump Alliance to Restore Senate Majority Eric Hovde, the brand new, wealthy GOP Senate recruit hoping to take on two-term Democratic senator Tammy Baldwin of Wisconsin in November, was all smiles as he strolled the halls of the Capitol Tuesday afternoon. En route to the office of Senate GOP Whip John Thune, Hovde was flanked by the man who encouraged him to run: National Republican Senatorial Committee chairman Steve Daines of Montana.    "I'm getting ready to go meet Senator Thune right now," an enthusiastic Hovde told National Review in a brief interview Tuesday on his way to the elevator.   Hovde, who jumped into the race last week after running unsuccessfully for his state's Senate GOP nomination in 2012, is one of many new strong GOP Senate candidates that Daines is hoping will help flip the Senate red this cycle, thanks to a recruiting style that prioritizes candidate quality and aggressive involvement in GOP primaries.   Up until this point, Daines's close relationship with Trump also appears to have paid major dividends for Senate GOP recruitment, as the former president has gotten onboard with NRSC-preferred candidates in a number of must-win states, and has largely stayed out of many primaries in blue-leaning battlegrounds the party is hoping to put on the map this cycle . . . READ MORE  > Join NRPLUS and get the full text of The Horse Race delivered straight to your inbox. ADVERTISEMENT 19 West 44th Street, Ste. 1701, New York, NY, 10036 Your Preferences | Unsubscribe | Privacy View this e-mail in your browser.