Wisconsin Republican U.S. Rep. Tom Tiffany announced Tuesday he will not run for Senate against Democrat Sen. Tammy Baldwin in the 2024 election, leaving the GOP without a clear candidate to challenge Democrats for the crucial swing state seat despite the election being a year off.
Tiffany instead plans to run for reelection in Wisconsin’s solid-red 7th Congressional District, according to the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. Tiffany told the Journal Sentinel he could better serve Wisconsin through his positions on the Committee of Natural Resources and the Judiciary Committee.
“I can make the greatest impact continuing to serve the great people of Wisconsin in the House of Representatives,” Tiffany said in a statement posted to Twitter on Tuesday.
With no GOP challengers in sight, Baldwin is seeking her third term for a seat that is critical for Democrats if they hope to maintain their 51-49 Senate majority. Baldwin’s seat is one of 23 Democrats must defend in the 2024 election compared to 10 Republicans must hold.
Tiffany’s announcement came two months after U.S. Rep. Mike Gallagher also declined to run despite being a popular candidate among GOP leaders in Washington.
Baldwin made waves in Congress last year after spearheading the Respect for Marriage Act, legislation penned to protect same-sex and interracial marriages. President Joe Biden signed the act into law late last year.
“No one works harder for Wisconsin families than Tammy Baldwin,” Ben Wikler, Wisconsin Democratic Party chair, told the Associated Press when Baldwin announced her run for reelection.
Wikler further stated that there is “a reason so many Republican politicians are hiding under a rug instead of running for U.S. Senate: they know that Wisconsinites trust Tammy Baldwin.”
Even without a declared challenger, Tiffany said in his statement Tuesday he looked forward to working with GOP nominees for the Senate and Presidential races to “turn Wisconsin red in 2024,” believing that “America and Wisconsin can do better than the current status quo.”
“If we stay focused on the issues, I believe she is beatable,” Tiffany said in an interview with the Associated Press. “I don’t pretend, it is not going to be easy.”
Nevertheless, Democrats seem optimistic about Baldwin’s bid for reelection.
“Ultra-MAGA Congressman Tom Tiffany cried wolf about running for Senate but ended up passing because he knows his extremist record doesn’t hold a candle to the work Tammy Baldwin has done for Wisconsin,” Arik Wolk, a spokesperson for the Wisconsin Democratic Party, said in a statement.
Wolk further stated that Tiffany’s decision not to challenge Baldwin “leaves Republicans staring down a messy and chaotic Senate primary.”
Anna Kleiber is the state news editor for The Daily Cardinal. Follow her on Twitter at @annakleiber03.
