Overview

• Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer has secured former Sen. Sherrod Brown in Ohio and Gov. Roy Cooper in North Carolina, giving Democrats high-profile contenders in traditionally Republican territory.
• The Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee is courting Maine Gov. Janet Mills, who is weighing a challenge to Sen. Susan Collins, and exploring a Senate bid from former Rep. Mary Peltola in Alaska.
• GOP vulnerabilities from retirements in swing states and bruising primary battles—such as Sen. John Cornyn’s challenge from Attorney General Ken Paxton in Texas—are central to Democratic strategy.
• Democrats must flip four seats to regain the Senate majority but confront an uphill map with 22 Republican-held seats in states Donald Trump won by double digits in 2024.
• Both parties are deploying outside spending and shaping primaries as 2026 nears, with Democrats aiming to force Republicans into defensive campaigns and Republicans highlighting Democratic weaknesses.