It’s Going to Be Hard for Democrats to Keep the Senate. They’re Giving it a Prime-Time Shot.

Competitive Senate candidates got key speaking slots during the DNC’s biggest night.

Ruben Gallego
Rep. Ruben Gallego is in one of the most competitive Senate races this year. J. Scott Applewhite/AP

Democrats are facing an uphill battle to keep control of the Senate in November, and the fight took center stage at their convention Thursday night — without any of the candidates having to say it out loud.

Candidates from four of the seven tightest races spoke on the main stage in Chicago: Pennsylvania, Michigan, Wisconsin and Arizona. Texas candidate Colin Allred also had time at the mic. He’s running for one of the just two Republican-held Senate seats Democrats have a chance of flipping in November.

The battleground Democrats who got prime-time speaking slots at the convention Thursday focused on their own personal stories, not the collective goal of keeping the Senate in Democratic hands.