Pearl Jam or DNC? Vulnerable Democrats skip Chicago convention to campaign at home

COLUMBUS, Ohio − Montana Sen. Jon Tester is headed to a party this week. It's just going to be Pearl Jam's instead of Vice President Kamala Harris's.

Tester joins vulnerable Democratic Sens. Sherrod Brown of Ohio and Jacky Rosen of Nevada in skipping the Democratic National Convention in Chicago to focus on their must-win races instead, their campaigns confirmed. At least a couple House Democrats facing similar political headwinds back home are skipping a trip to the Windy City too.

Brown and Tester face tough reelection bids in states that former President Donald Trump won easily in both 2016 and 2020. Voters in Rosen's Nevada went for President Joe Biden in 2020 but remains a highly competitive swing state.

Senate Democrats hold a narrow 51-49 majority and have little margin for error this fall. Polls show Brown , who is running for his fourth term, has an edge over Republican businessman Bernie Moreno and Rosen is leading Army veteran Sam Brown . But it's a toss-up between Tester and his GOP challenger Tim Sheehy .

For candidates in tight races, "I don't necessarily know if there's much benefit to going," said Kyle Kondik, managing editor of Sabato’s Crystal Ball at the University of Virginia Center for Politics. Several Republicans skipped the Milwaukee convention last month. "Particularly if you're trying to keep the party at arm's length, why would you go to the convention?"

Brown and Tester called on Biden to drop out of the race days before the sitting president ended his reelection campaign. Brown and Rosen have endorsed Harris' campaign. Tester has yet to do so.

So Tester is forgoing the DNC for a Wednesday fundraiser with Pearl Jam bassist Jeff Ament, a Montana native , according to the Montana Free Press . The band plays a concert the next day at Washington-Grizzly Stadium in Missoula. Tester plans to spend his August farming and meeting face-to-face with Montanans, according to his campaign.

Brown has a packed schedule of campaign stops in the Buckeye State.

"We've been planning to be in Ohio for months and Sherrod is looking forward to hearing from Ohioans in Youngstown, Toledo, Cleveland, Chillicothe and Sandusky this week to discuss his record fighting for the dignity of work," Brown spokesperson Eliza Green told USA TODAY.

Rosen, who has skipped previous Democratic conventions, recently rallied voters for Harris and Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz in Las Vegas.

“Sen. Rosen supports the Harris-Walz ticket and was glad to join them on the campaign trail in Las Vegas," a Rosen spokesperson said. "She is also focused on her own reelection and will be talking with Nevada voters during the week of the convention.”

Colorado Rep. Yadira Caraveo and Maine Rep. Jared Golden will campaign in their districts rather than attend the DNC, their campaigns confirmed.

"Who I vote for is no one’s business but my own," Golden wrote on X , formerly known as Twitter. "I want the people of Maine’s Second District to understand this: I don’t care if you plan to vote for Donald Trump, Kamala Harris, or none of the above."

In the hours after Biden dropped out of the race, Democrats faced the threat of a historic open convention. But Harris quickly locked up support and won the nomination via a virtual roll call vote earlier this month.

"It could have been the most impactful convention in 60 years had Harris not immediately turned around and grabbed the nomination," Kondik said. "But as it is, it's just a big show for the party."

Jessie Balmert is a reporter for the USA TODAY Network Ohio Bureau, which serves the Columbus Dispatch, Cincinnati Enquirer, Akron Beacon Journal and 18 other affiliated news organizations across Ohio .

This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: Pearl Jam or DNC? Vulnerable Democrats skip Chicago convention to campaign at home