Republicans are already favored to keep the Senate in the 2026 midterms, but that is not stopping Democrats from trying to gain control of the chamber. Dems would love nothing more than to control both chambers so they can do all of the crazy things they’ve been promising to their base.
There are some candidates on the left who are so far out, people like James Talarico in Texas and Abdul El-Sayed in Michigan, who Democrats and the media are pushing hard, but who are so polarizing that their chances aren’t great.
The race that is really worrying Democrats is New Hampshire.
Republican John Sununu is running against Democrat Chris Pappas and Sununu has some big advantages. He has already been a U.S. Senator for New Hampshire and his last name has massive recognition in the state – his father was governor.
This race would actually be a pick-up for Republicans.
The most underrated Senate race in the country is right here in New Hampshire.
New Hampshire Democrats Sound an Alarm: ‘We’re Losing’ https://t.co/Ex9jX84au9
— Brandon Maly (@brandon_maly) September 6, 2026
From the New York Times:
Two months before the midterms, Democrats are devoting vast financial resources to red states like Ohio, Iowa and Texas, daring to hope their party can reclaim the Senate with victories in a series of states President Trump won in 2024.
New Hampshire would like a word.
In recent weeks, a tide of anxiety has risen among Democrats in the Granite State who are concerned that a party with big dreams of expanding its map could let the seat left open by the pending retirement of Senator Jeanne Shaheen, a Democrat, slip from its grasp.
The matchup that is widely expected to emerge from the state’s primary on Tuesday would pit Representative Chris Pappas, 46, a four-term congressman from the swingy First District, against former Senator John E. Sununu, who is the brother and son of two former governors. A recent poll by the University of New Hampshire showed Mr. Pappas running narrowly behind in such a contest.
Mr. Pappas himself is raising the alarm and underscoring the national implications of the race. He put it bluntly in a fund-raising email on Friday morning: “We’re losing.”
Mr. Sununu’s candidacy, following a decade of lackluster Republican recruitment in Senate races in the state, has Republicans promising significant spending that some Democrats worry they are ill-prepared to counter.
This would be such a sweet win for the GOP.
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