Senate News & Analysis
Nathan Gonzales, Jacob Rubashkin, and Melissa Nann Burke of the Detroit News analyze Democratic Sen. Gary Peters’ decision not to run for re-election in the battleground state of Michigan, discuss the candidates who might run, and the impact of the Senate race on the race for governor and key House…
Alabama Governor. Gov. Kay Ivey is term-limited, setting up a competitive GOP primary to replace her. Lt. Gov. Will Ainsworth had said he’d make up his mind in February or March, but now says he’ll wait until the upcoming legislative session ends in May. Agriculture Commissioner Rick Pate said he’d…
By Jacob Rubashkin & Nathan L. Gonzales
The 2026 Senate map became a little clearer this week as the Republican governors of Florida and Ohio announced their picks to replace incoming Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Vice President J.D. Vance.
On Thursday, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis announced he would…
Nathan Gonzales, Jacob Rubashkin, and Meg Kinnard of the Associated Press talk about the political dynamics and implications for President Donald Trump’s cabinet choices, analyze the initial 2026 Senate battleground including the five most important races and handicap how difficult it will be for Democrats to win the majority, and…
By Nathan L. Gonzales & Jacob Rubashkin
Republicans not only gained control of the Senate in 2024, but they may be insulated from a difficult midterm election by the size of their majority and the paucity of competitive races in 2026.
With a target-rich map of Senate races in GOP-leaning…
Alabama. Tommy Tuberville (R), elected 2020 (60%). The former Auburn football coach ousted Democrat Doug Jones in 2020 by 20 points. Trump supported Tuberville in that primary over former U.S. Attorney General/former Sen. Jeff Sessions. And there’s no indication Trump would rescind that support from Tuberville this cycle. Solid Republican.
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Kentucky. Mitch McConnell (R), elected 1984 (50%), 1990 (52%), 1996 (55%), 2002 (65%), 2008 (53%), 2014 (56%), and 2020 (58%). McConnell withstood a $100 million from Democrat Amy McGrath in 2020, winning by 20 points. But this cycle will be very different. The 82-year-old former majority leader has had multiple…
North Carolina. Thom Tillis (R), elected 2014 (49%) and 2020 (49%). Tillis came from behind to defeat former state Sen. Cal Cunningham by 2 points in 2020. All eyes are on former Democratic Gov. Roy Cooper to see if he’ll challenge Tillis this time in what would be a competitive…
Florida’s 7th District. The House Ethics Committee is investigating GOP Rep. Cory Mills, but it’s not clear what he potentially did wrong. Mills just won re-election by 14 points in the Central Florida seat, and Donald Trump finished ahead of Kamala Harris by 12.5 points, according to elections analyst Matt…
Nathan Gonzales and Jacob Rubashkin talk about what they got right (and wrong) in the 2024 elections, do a deep dive into one of the most competitive House races in the country and how Rep. Don Bacon was able to survive, and look ahead to the 2026 fight for the…