National Republican Senatorial Committee Chairman Steve Daines (R-MT) spoke to Breitbart News on Wednesday about Republicans’ plan to retake the Senate.
When asked about the Republican plan and “pathway” to “take back control of the United States Senate,” Daines stressed that their “number one priority” is “finding a conservative candidate” who can not only win primaries but also take on the Democratic candidate and win the general election.
“Well, we started this effort in January of ’23,” Daines explained in an interview at the Republican National Convention (RNC) in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. “We had a clear strategy: Number one, find a conservative candidate who could win not just the primary but the general election. That’s where it all began: recruiting great candidates.”
Daines added that “some things are within our control and some are not,” including the “overall macro environment,” the economy and interest rate fluctuations.
“We couldn’t control what happened in the debate, which Biden lost so badly,” Daines continued. “Who would have known that an assassin’s bullet would have nearly shot and killed President Trump on Saturday? I mean, there are a lot of factors that we can control, but having a quality candidate that can win the general election, we use a sports analogy: I’m a basketball coach. What do you want to do? Number one, you want to have the best player on the court, the best player with the ball in their hands, who knows how to dribble properly, who knows how to shoot, with a chance to win with a minute left. And that’s exactly what we have right now in the top 10 races in the country. Solid candidates. They’re battle-tested.”
Daines went on to talk about the Republican Party showing signs of unity, highlighting speeches by former U.N. Ambassador Nikki Haley and Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis at the Republican National Convention on Tuesday night.
“The party is really leaning to Donald Trump, and that’s a key part of winning the election in November,” Daines added. “I think President Trump has an opportunity Thursday night to spread a message of unity and even think about bringing the country together. The American people are desperate for strong leadership, and right now we have a weak commander in chief. The American people know that a strong leader will make America safer and more secure.”
