How the Harris 2024 shake-up could affect House and Senate races

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Democrats’ substitution of Vice President Kamala Harris for President Joe Biden on the ballot in November obviously resets the presidential race.

Related article Of 49 US VPs, only 4 accomplished what Harris is attempting

It could also have a major impact on House and Senate races. Both chambers of Congress are narrowly divided at the moment; Republicans hold a slim advantage in the House and Democrats narrowly control the Senate. Either chamber could go either way in November.

I went to Simone Pathe, a senior Washington editor for CNN Politics and the author of an occasional series, “The 10 Senate seats most likely to flip.” Read the most recent version here.

We talked by email about the state of play for the House and Senate and how the shake-up in the presidential race might change things.

Does Harris change the Senate equation?

WOLF: The presidential race got a total reset when President Biden dropped out. Does that reset anything in the battle for the Senate?

PATHE: The extent to which the change at the top of the ticket shifts Senate races will be one of the most interesting things to watch over the coming months.

Remember that a big part of the pressure on Biden to step aside was the warning from Democratic lawmakers about his drag on down-ballot races. So now the big question is whether the Democratic brand itself is toxic or whether that was a particular vulnerability attached to Biden.

It’s still early days of this new political reality, but there are some early signals of how Harris as the nominee could be giving Democratic incumbents a sense of relief.

For starters,