Three vulnerable Senate Democrats skipping DNC in Chicago

The Democratic National Convention in Chicago in two weeks will see Democrats present a united front behind their ticket, but a few vulnerable Senate Democrats will not be making the trip.

While several Republicans, including Sens. Lisa Murkowski (R-AK) and Susan Collins (R-ME), skipped out on the Republican National Convention, many of the Democrats not going to the DNC include those up for election in November in races that could decide control of Congress.

Sens. Sherrod Brown (D-OH) and Jon Tester (D-MT) will not be going to the DNC in Chicago, according to Punchbowl News. Brown has supported Vice President Kamala Harris for president but has kept his distance as he battles for reelection in increasingly Republican Ohio, while Tester has not endorsed Harris as he fights for his political life in Montana. The two senators are widely viewed as the most vulnerable incumbents in the chamber seeking reelection in November.

Sen. Jacky Rosen (D-NV), who is also facing a tough reelection battle, will not attend the DNC, according to the Nevada Independent, but will join Harris and Gov. Tim Walz (D-MN) for their rally in Las Vegas on Saturday. Rosen had kept her distance from President Joe Biden but appears to be testing the waters on attaching herself to the Harris-Walz ticket in November.

Democrats have a 51-49 majority in the Senate, including the four independent senators who caucus with them, but they are on the defensive in several states in November as Republicans eye taking back control of the chamber for the first time in four years.

At the RNC last month, the GOP candidates looking to oust vulnerable Democratic senators — including Bernie Moreno, Tim Sheehy, and Sam Brown, who are challengers to Sherrod Brown, Tester, and Rosen, respectively — had speaking slots.

As Democrats try to flip the House of Representatives from narrow GOP control, several House Democratic incumbents in vulnerable seats are also not attending the DNC. Reps. Yadira Caraveo (D-CO), Jared Golden (D-ME), and Marie Gluesenkamp Perez (D-WA), among others, will not be at the convention, according to Punchbowl News.

The DNC is scheduled to occur from Aug. 19-22 in Chicago. While Democrats are expected to gather in celebration of their ticket, anti-Israel protesters have made known they intend to hold mass demonstrations in the city while the convention is occurring.