WASHINGTON, D.C. — While it’s been nearly one month since Democratic incumbent Sen. Tammy Baldwin of Wisconsin announced she would seek a third term in 2024, no Republican challengers have entered the race.

“No one takes Baldwin as anything other than a tough opponent when contemplating getting into that senate race,” said Charles Franklin, director of the Marquette Law School Poll.

While slow to jump in the race, the first challenger could come from Congress.

“I really haven’t had a good discussion with my wife yet,” said Rep. Tom Tiffany, R-Wis.

Tiffany said he’s still considering his options. Yet the two-time incumbent U.S. representative recently bought domain names, including TomTiffanyforSenate.com, which redirects to his current campaign page. 

Wisconsin’s seventh congressional district congressman said his attention now is on the House Natural Resources and Judiciary committees.

“We’ve been doing a lot of legislation through both of those committees. I’ve really been focused on that,” he said.

“We’ll make that decision probably over the summer,” Tiffany continued, indicating he may reach a decision around the time of August’s congressional recess.

Franklin said that if Tiffany makes it official, he faces a huge lift in unseating Baldwin.

“She won her first race in 2012 by 5.5 points and won her second in 2018 by almost 11 points,” said Franklin.

Those were large margins compared to all three of Wisconsin Sen. Ron Johnson’s close bids.

Tiffany was mainly a supporting character on the campaign trail in last year’s midterms. Safe in his largely conservative district, he hit the trail to help push Wisconsin Rep. Derrick Van Orden and Sen. Johnson’s respective bids for office across the finish line, potentially showing his ability to run statewide. 

“That rural north of the state has been the area with the most growth in Republican support over the last decade,” Franklin said. “He would probably unite that area and fit very well with the politics of the north.”

Franklin said if he runs, the spotlight will put Tiffany under a microscope, tethering his prospects of winning the race to House Republicans’ every move.

“On the debt limit and a potential government shutdown, how do those things play out? And what is Tiffany’s role in that?” asked Franklin. “How does that set him up to oppose one of the most liberal members of the Senate, Tammy Baldwin?”

“If it’s Tiffany versus Baldwin, it really is quite conservative versus quite liberal, with very little in the middle,” Franklin added.