How Democrats Hope to Overcome a Daunting 2026 Senate Map

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Facing long odds to retake a majority, Senator Chuck Schumer and his allies are trying to think outside the box and recruit candidates who might be able to pull off upsets in red states.

Senator Chuck Schumer of New York looking serious and holding a folder as he stands and speaks to reporters at the Capitol in April.

By Shane Goldmacher

Shane Goldmacher is a national political correspondent who has covered Senate races since 2012.

May 6, 2025Updated 1:03 p.m. ET

Senator Chuck Schumer and his allies are working aggressively to stretch a Senate map that offers precious few opportunities for Democrats to reclaim a majority in 2026, recruiting deep into the country’s most conservative corners to find viable candidates in red states.

Democrats have grown more bullish about their midterm prospects as President Trump’s approval rating has sagged. “We are going to be in the majority in 2027,” Mr. Schumer, the minority leader from New York, boldly predicted last month.

But Democrats also confront the brutal reality of a map where all but two of the 22 Republican seats up for election are in states that Mr. Trump carried by at least 10 percentage points in 2024.

Iowa

Kan.

Ky.

Ala.

Alaska

Ariz.

Ark.

Calif.

Colo.

Conn.

Fla.

Ga.

Hawaii

Idaho

Ill.

Ind.

Texas

Utah

La.

Maine

Md.

Mass.

Mich.

Minn.

Miss.

Mo.

Mont.

Neb.

N.H.

N.J.

N.M.

N.Y.

N.C.

N.D.

Ohio

Okla.

Ore.

Pa.

R.I.

S.C.

S.D.

Tenn.

Va.

Wash.

W.Va.

Wis.

Wyo.

Del.

Nev.

Solid Dem.

Likely Dem.

Lean Dem.

Tossup

Lean Rep.

Likely Rep.

Solid Rep.

No election

Winning in such hostile territory has grown harder and harder as Senate contests increasingly align with presidential voting. Republicans now occupy every seat in the states that Mr. Trump won all three times he was on the ballot, powering their 53-seat majority.

To break that stranglehold, Mr. Schumer has been dialing up past and present politicians in hopes of landing previous red-state winners. Some, like former Senator Sherrod Brown of Ohio and former Gov. Roy Cooper of North Carolina, could instantly make their states’ races more competitive.