McConnell sees incumbency as obstacle to GOP takeover of Senate

Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell (Ky.) views incumbency as a significant advantage for Democrats in the battle for the Senate, an acknowledgement that the quality of the veteran incumbents running for reelection is a problem for his party.

Former President Trump is leading President Biden in several battleground states, yet Senate GOP candidates are trailing Senate incumbents in some of the same states, including Sens. Jacky Rosen (D-Nev.), Bob Casey (D-Pa.) and Tammy Baldwin (D-Wis.).

Sens. Jon Tester (D-Mont.) and Sherrod Brown (D-Ohio) face much tougher climates in states that Trump is expected to win easily, but they are hanging tough and have won out over tough odds in the past.

McConnell says the power of incumbency explains the divergence between Trump and Senate GOP candidates in battleground polls. He also argued it was a lesson Republicans already learned painfully in the midterm elections two years ago, when they failed to take back the Senate.