Schumer plans to pick Gary Peters to run DSCC

Incoming Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer is poised to name Sen. Gary Peters to head their party's Senate fundraising arm for the pivotal midterm elections, a move he hopes will allow him to retain his title, according to four people familiar with the matter.

Why it matters: As chair of the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee, Peters will be tasked with raising the enormous amounts of money Democrats will need to preserve their razor-thin majority. The appointment is something of a surprise, given the Michigander is viewed as a low-key Midwesterner.

• Schumer advisers are in discussions with Christie Roberts, a Democratic strategist who was instrumental in the party's two Georgia Senate victories, to serve as executive director.
• There also are plans to name newly elected New Mexico Sen. Ben Ray Lujan as vice chairperson for the committee.
• The Huffington Post reported this evening that Peters was a "key prospect" for the job.

What to watch: Several Republican senators are retiring in 2022 in key states, including Pennsylvania and North Carolina.

• But Democrats in red states like soon-to-be Sen. Raphael Warnock of Georgia as well as Sen. Mark Kelly of Arizona also are facing tough reelection fights.

The big picture: Peters just won reelection in a tight race in Michigan, but he didn't trounce his opponent, Republican John James. He also underperformed compared to Biden, winning by about 65,000 fewer votes than the president-elect.

• But Peters won Michigan in 2020 with a margin eight times larger than Trump in 2016.
• The safety net is that Peters will be executing orders from Schumer, himself a former DSCC chair. He has strong opinions on how to preserve his position as majority leader and won't be shy about sharing them.
• Sources close to the process cautioned the decision wasn't final.