Thread by @julianzelizer

Democrats are struggling to find good candidates for the 2020 Senate races. @staceyabrams announcement that she will not run in Georgia constitutes another major blow to the party's effort to retake control of the upper chamber./1
washingtonpost.com/politics/2019/…

The Senate has been a bastion of Republican power. When @BarackObama was in office, @senatemajldr stifled the administration’s efforts on almost every front. @KevinMKruse and I cover this in #FaultLines. Everyone remembers this clip./2

The Senate has been crucial to most of @realDonaldTrump's biggest political victories, such as pushing through federal court appointments that have energized the Right. Senate Republicans have also been a powerful check against efforts to conduct oversight and investigations./3

As good as the midterms were for House Democrats, Senate Republicans expanded their majority. Yes, the map was terrible for Democrats, but the outcome still had a profound impact on the contours of congressional power./4
vox.com/a/midterms-201…

Control of the Senate will determine the direction of politics in 2021. If there is a Democratic president, a Republican Senate will serve as a roadblock to substantive policy initiatives. Climate change, gun control, health care expansion, and more will be DOA./5

If Trump wins reelection, the Senate could serve as the foundation for a transformative second-term. My colleague @StarrProspect wrote a provocative piece about a second Trump term for @TheAtlantic./6
theatlantic.com/magazine/archi…

If the early signs are accurate, Schumer's strategy is not shaping up well for Democrats. Strong candidate recruitment was vital to their 2018 success in the House. Democrats will need to quickly strengthen their efforts or they will be caught on the losing end./7

Democrats are naturally excited about the presidential race. But congressional power matters. Republicans knew this in 2010 and put enormous resources into congressional races. It paid off. Democrats need to give Congress the same level of attention in the coming months./end

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