The race for the presidency and the 2020 election has begun and tension is already heightened. With 20 Democratic candidates vying for the highest office in the land, there is a lot of division in the Democratic party. Despite this scattering among Democratic voters, unification is found around one thing: beating Donald Trump in his re-election efforts. This message is echoed in rallies, debates, everywhere. Though not incorrect by any means, hyperfocus on this singular issue may cause Democrats to lose out on an equally important key to regaining power in D.C.—regaining control of the Senate.
The Senate is currently seated at 53 Republicans and 46 Democrats, giving Republicans a firm stronghold in this half of Congress. Despite the 235-199 party breakdown in favor of Democrats in the House, little policy has been able to pass from the House and through the Senate under the leadership of Republican Mitch McConnell. Bills for comprehensive background checks on all gun sales, efforts toward election security and the appointing of Merrick Garland by President Obama, among other things, have all been blocked by McConnell in the past few years. Because of this gridlock, along with McConnell’s abuse of the filibuster, the media and the Democratic Party as a whole should focus more on Amy McGrath’s 2020 campaign against McConnell in Kentucky.
Furthermore, more focus should be directly applied toward the race for the Senate, because Democrats need only three or four seats to take power. This goal is difficult, but tangible, if an organized effort is made. The organization in Georgia to elect two Democratic senators is a great example of the work that needs to be put into states that could easily be flipped As are national level efforts like activist Sean King’s “Flip the Senate,” which endorses candidates challenging Republican senate spots across the country and provides them with funding and volunteers for campaign and canvassing needs. This sort of mobilization is what Democrats need to win back the Senate, and should be equally as important as preparing a front-runner to challenge Trump.
While Trump’s defeat in 2020 is crucial to the success of the Democratic party for obvious reasons, more of an effort and focus should be placed on challenging Republican Senate seats to ensure that policy can actually be passed if a Democrat were to assume office in the White House.
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