Democrats are feeling bullish about their chances of taking back the Senate following their victories in the 2025 off-year elections.
Senate Democrats are eyeing Ohio, Iowa, and Alaska as seats they can potentially flip in the 2026 midterm elections, after flipping 13 seats in the Virginia House of Delegates and winning the gubernatorial races in New Jersey and Virginia by larger-than-expected margins.
Iowa, Alaska, and Ohio all voted for President Donald Trump by double digits in the 2024 presidential election.
“The margins from last night reflect what we’ve been seeing on the ground here in Iowa, and my hope is that national observers will start to make the connection between the dots,” said state Sen. Zach Wahls, who is running for Iowa’s open Senate seat.
“There is real excitement and energy in the state,” he added.
Democrats hope Tuesday’s win will energize donors and lead to a fundraising bonanza, as they aim to improve their standing with working-class voters.
“The Senate map doesn’t look great, but if there’s any hope of winning, we have to be aggressive and fight in places that are not traditional Democratic targets,” said Democrat consultant Brendan McPhillips.
“Some of this is backlash to Trump, but it’s also about candidate quality, who inspires people, people who fit their races,” he added.
Joanna Rodriguez, the communications director for the National Republican Senatorial Committee, dismissed Democrats’ chances of expanding their map.
“Nothing would make Republicans happier than Democrats making strategy decisions in Iowa, Ohio, and Nebraska based on takeaways from New York City electing an openly socialist Democrat,” Rodriguez said.
Vice President JD Vance dismissed the losses and said Republicans need to stop infighting.
“I think it’s idiotic to overreact to a couple of elections in blue states,” Vance posted on X.
Republicans are also hoping they can tie Democrats to Zohran Mamdani, the democratic socialist elected mayor of New York City.
“National Democrats have their heads in the clouds if they think they have any shot of expanding the map that is quickly closing in on them because they’re forced to defend their leader Zohran Mamdani’s radical socialist agenda,” National Republican Congressional Committee spokesperson Mike Marinella said in a statement.
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