Senate Democrats are entering another election cycle that presents a tough map and few opportunities to take the upper chamber’s majority.
Democrats have been in charge of the Senate since 2021 but will be in the minority in January, thanks largely to an election cycle that was unfavorable to them. The 33 seats that are up for reelection in 2026 aren’t looking much better.
That could give President-elect Donald Trump a Republican Senate for his entire four-year term, giving him broad leeway in administration and judicial nominations, and an easier time with legislation.
“It’s not impossible, but the stars would really have to align,” said J. Miles Coleman, associate editor of Sabato’s Crystal Ball, the election forecasting program of the University of Virginia.
