Cook Shifts Key U.S. Senate Race Away From the Democrats

Graeme Sloan/Sipa USA via AP Images

The Cook Political Report shifted its rating for the key Nevada U.S. Senate race on Wednesday, moving it from “Lean Democrat” to “Toss Up.”

The move by the highly respected, non-partisan publication is certainly unwelcome news for Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) and Democrats facing an uphill battle to retain their majority in the U.S. Senate. Republicans are eyeing several seats held by Democrats in deep red states like West Virginia, Montana, and even Ohio, which has been safely in the Trump column in recent years. Schumer currently holds a 51-49 majority in his caucus and can only afford to lose one seat and keep the majority — if Democrats retain the White House.

First-term Nevada Sen. Jacky Rosen (D-NV) is up for reelection in the perennial swing state, where President Joe Biden remains unpopular.

Cook’s Senate and Governors Editor Jessica Taylor wrote up the analysis for why Nevada had shifted right, saying, “Ultimately we are moving this race because of the unique forces at play in Nevada. A combination of a newer electorate that Rosen must win over, Biden’s lagging numbers and the unique post-COVID economic hangover in Nevada make this race a Toss Up.”

Sam Brown, a U.S. Army veteran, leads the pack of half a dozen plus Republicans vying to take on Rosen in the general election. Nevada’s primary is June 11th and the race shifting away from Rosen even before her opponent has been decided is an ominous indicator of the troubled waters she faces.

Taylor added in her explanation of the rating change that Rosen’s ads are “clearly designed to separate herself from President Joe Biden and the drag he could be in the state.”

Read Taylor’s full breakdown here.