Morning Jolt: The Misery of Senate Democrats

WITH JIM GERAGHTY

March 13 2025

On the menu today: Yes, it's quite early to be thinking about the 2026 midterms, but if you're the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee, the map already looks more difficult than it did at the beginning of the year. On Wednesday, New Hampshire's Jeanne Shaheen announced her retirement, on the heels of Gary Peters of Michigan and Tina Smith of Minnesota, creating three purplish-state seats that need defending. What's more, if former New Hampshire governor Chris Sununu decides to run for the open seat in his state, the GOP odds of a pickup improve tremendously. Meanwhile, former Secretary of Delayed Transportation Pete Buttigieg says he won't run for the Michigan Senate seat because he's (chuckle, snicker) focused on his 2028 presidential campaign. It all adds up to a very steep climb for Democrats hoping to win four seats and control of the chamber in 2026. There's still a lot of road ahead, but right now there are decent odds that Donald Trump will have a GOP Senate for his entire second term.

Senate Democrats Have a Tough Road Ahead

In my Washington Post column published February 18 ...