What They’re Saying: “Top GOP Recruit” Mike Gallagher Declines To Run In “Major Blow To The GOP’s Candidate Recruitment Efforts”

Following Mike Gallagher’s announcement to not run for Senate “despite a concerted campaign from national Republicans to lure him into the race,” a wave of new reporting highlights the decision as a “major blow” and “disappointment” to “state and national Republicans” who “los[t] their best shot at defeating Tammy Baldwin,” a “battle-tested incumbent Democrat who is a prolific fundraiser.”

Here’s what they’re saying:

POLITICO: Republicans fail to get top recruit Rep. Mike Gallagher for Wisconsin Senate 
By Ally Mutnick 
June 9, 2023

• A top potential recruit in Wisconsin’s Senate race declined to run — despite a concerted campaign from national Republicans to lure him into the race. His decision is a blow to top Senate GOP strategists who saw him as their best shot to block Baldwin from a third term.
  
  
• Gallagher had met with the National Republican Senatorial Committee and its chair, Sen. Steve Daines (R-Mont.), who was particularly eager to land him and saw him as the strongest prospective challenger.
  

NBC News: Top GOP recruit decides not to challenge Wisconsin Sen. Tammy Baldwin in 2024
By Adam Edelman
June 9, 2023

• Wisconsin Republican Rep. Mike Gallagher said Friday he will not challenge Sen. Tammy Baldwin, D-Wis., in the 2024, dealing a blow to state and national Republicans who had signaled that the Green Bay congressman was their strongest recruit to help them take back the Senate majority.

• In recent weeks, Sen. Steve Daines, R-Mont., the chairman of the National Republican Senatorial Committee — the group that runs GOP Senate campaign efforts — made no secret of his desire for Gallagher to run, telling the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel that he would be “a very strong candidate.” In addition, an NRSC-commissioned poll showed Gallagher in a tight race with Baldwin in a hypothetical matchup.
  
  
• A strong fundraiser, Baldwin consistently polls higher than Biden, who narrowly won Wisconsin in 2020, in the state. The nonpartisan Cook Political Report rates the race as “Lean Democratic.”

The Messenger: Wisconsin Republicans Lose Their Best Shot at Defeating Tammy Baldwin
By Matt Holt and Dan Merica 
June 9, 2023

• Wisconsin Rep. Mike Gallagher announced Friday that he would not run for the Senate seat held by Democratic Sen. Tammy Baldwin, leaving Republicans without their top recruit in a critical race.
  
  
• A poll commissioned by the National Republican Senatorial Committee in late May found Gallagher trailing Baldwin, 47-46 percent. NRSC Chairman Steve Daines had name-checked Gallagher as a potential candidate multiple times. “Mike Gallagher would be a great candidate,” Daines said in March. “He’s the kind of candidate that with his distinguished service and then time in Congress, could win both the primary and general election.”

• Democratic operatives believe the chaotic nature of GOP primaries gives them an advantage heading into next year’s election. 

Associated Press: Republican Rep. Gallagher won’t run for US Senate in Wisconsin, leaving open field
By Scott Bauer
June 9, 2023

• Wisconsin Republican U.S. Rep. Mike Gallagher announced Friday that he won’t run for U.S. Senate in 2024 against Democratic U.S. Sen. Tammy Baldwin, leaving an open GOP field with no declared candidates in the battleground state.

• Gallagher was the highest profile Republican said to be considering a run against Baldwin, who is seeking a third term after an 11-point win in 2018. Baldwin is viewed as a formidable opponent due to her strong showing six years ago, her high profile across the state and her ability to raise money.

The Daily Caller: In Blow To GOP, Rep. Mike Gallagher Decides Against Senate Run
By Michael Ginsberg 
June 9, 2023

• Republican Wisconsin Rep. Mike Gallagher will not challenge incumbent Democratic Sen. Tammy Baldwin in 2024, dealing a major blow to the GOP’s candidate recruitment efforts.

Roll Call: Wooed by GOP, Gallagher decides against Wisconsin Senate run
By Mary Ellen McIntire
June 9, 2023

• Gallagher was seen as a top Republican recruit to challenge Baldwin, a two-term senator in a swing state. A poll conducted on behalf of the National Republican Senatorial Committee last month found that Gallagher could be competitive against Baldwin in a hypothetical matchup.

Washington Examiner: Gallagher passes on 2024 Wisconsin Senate run in blow to GOP hopes to flip seat 
By Samantha Jo-Roth
June 9, 2023

• Rep. Mike Gallagher (R-WI) announced on Friday that he’ll seek reelection in the House of Representatives rather than challenge Sen. Tammy Baldwin (D-WI) in 2024, a blow to Senate Republicans who had hoped the Wisconsin congressman could flip the seat.

• Gallagher’s decision to pass on the contest is a disappointment for Wisconsin Republicans who have been eager to find a candidate who can attract independent and centrist Republican voters in the suburbs who broke with former President Donald Trump in 2020 and several of his endorsed candidates in 2022. Baldwin is a battle-tested incumbent Democrat who is a prolific fundraiser.

WBAY: Rep. Mike Gallagher rules out run for Senate in 2024
By WBAY News Staff
June 9, 2023

• Gallagher was the highest-profile republican said to be considering a run against Baldwin, who is seeking a third term after an 11-point win in 2018. Baldwin is viewed as a formidable opponent due to her strong showing six years ago, her high profile across the state and her ability to raise money.
  
  
• Several other Republicans are considering taking on Baldwin, but none have officially announced. 

WDJT Milwaukee

• Wisconsin Congressman Mike Gallagher announcing this morning he won’t run for U.S. Senate in 2024 against Democratic Senator Tammy Baldwin. The decision by the Green Bay Republican leaves an open GOP field with no declared candidates in this battleground state.
  
  
• Gallagher was the highest profile Republican said to be considering a run against Baldwin, who is seeking a third term after an 11-point win back in 2018. 

WHBY: Congressman Mike Gallagher will not run for Senate in 2024  
By Jonathan Krause 
June 9, 2023

• Congressman Mike Gallagher of Green Bay says he will NOT mount a campaign to challenge Senator Tammy Baldwin in 2024. Gallagher is seen as a rising star in the Republican party, and Politico had earlier reported that party leaders were courting him to run for the Senate.

Spectrum News 1 Wisconsin Green Bay

• Wisconsin Congressman Mike Gallagher will not challenge Senator Tammy Baldwin for her seat in 2024. Instead, the Green Bay Representative announced he will pursue reelection to Congress. 

WSAU: Republican Rep. Mike Gallagher Makes Decision On Running For Senate 
By Thomas Schumacher
June 9, 2023

• Republican Rep. Mike Gallagher of Wisconsin decided on Friday that he would not seek the Republican nomination for the U.S. Senate in 2024 against Democratic U.S. Sen. Tammy Baldwin. Baldwin, who won by 11 points in 2018, is seeking a third term and Gallagher was the most prominent Republican rumored to be considering a challenge.

See also: DSCC Statement on Senate Republicans’ Failed “Full Court Press” to Recruit Mike Gallagher.

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