A candidate who has already proven her ability to win statewide, Mary Peltola (D) is seeking to unseat the two-term Republican incumbent Dan Sullivan in this challenging red-leaning state of Alaska. Peltola was the first Alaskan Native elected to the U.S. House of Representatives, where she served from 2022-2025. She has also served in the Alaska House of Representatives, and in leadership positions for several tribal and local government entities. As a member of Congress, Peltola was a member of the Blue Dog Coalition and exemplifies the independent mindedness of Alaskans, who describe her as having “her boots on the ground, on the riverbanks, and in the mud.” In the Senate, she wants to focus on affordability issues and on “fixing the rigged system in D.C.” by establishing 12-year term limits, stopping insider trading, and strengthening campaign finance laws. Although early in the year for a cold weather state like Alaska, Peltola started traveling statewide this spring, and has already gained ground against Sullivan according to early May polls showing her with a slight lead.
GA – Jon Ossoff
Jon Ossoff is running to keep his Senate seat. Both Georgia Senate seats are held by Democrats and Republicans are hell bent on taking back one of them. This will be an expensive race and a must-win for the Democrats. Ossoff is y oung, energetic, articulate, scandal free, working hard for Georgians. He was born in Atlanta, attended Georgetown University the got a master’s degree from the London School of Economics. Ossoff wor ked on the Hill with John Lewis and ran an investigative tv production company. He won his Senate seat in 2020 by 1.2 points after a runoff with former GA Senator David Perdue. Ossoff attracts large crowds and holds regular rallies around the state. He is investigating things like ICE detention centers and mistreatment and deaths in prisons. Trump won Georgia in 2024 by 2.2 points; Biden won by .2 points in 2020. The presumed challenger is MAGA Rep Mike Collins.
ME – Gerald Platner
Graham Platner is the Democratic candidate attempting to unseat longtime Maine Republican Senator Susan Collins. Collins chairs the Senate appropriations committee and has showered funding on every Maine county. Nonetheless, she is broadly unpopular in Maine because of her frequent concessions to Trump, sometimes after only mildly rebuking him. Platner is a populist iconoclast vowing to combat oligarchs and entrenched systems of influence in Washington politics. A former US Marine who currently works as an oyster farmer, Platner Is running his first political campaign. Despite a long and hurtful trail of social media posts, mostly dating to a period of PTSD following his military service, Platner maintains a polling lead over Collins. With support from Bernie Sanders and other progressive figures, he drove Maine Governor Janet Mills out of the Democratic primary. He will face Collins and the vast overt and covert Republican funding resources in November. Collins has seemed unbeatable. Maybe not this time.
NC – Roy Cooper
Roy Cooper – coming soon.
OH – Sherrod Brown
This election is among the keys to flipping the US Senate for Democrats. Two years ago, Ohio Senator Sherrod Brown lost his seat to Republican Bernie Moreno while the Trump/Vance ticket took the state. As JD Vance vacated his seat to become vice president, Ohio Governor Mike DeWine appointed Republican Jon Husted to fill it. Now Brown seeks a return to the Senate with a special election victory over Husted in November. In his tenure in the Senate, Brown earned a strong reputation on progressive issues, especially on the economy, the environment and financial regulation and reform. Brown is in a tough race in a swing state, but he’s won election to the Senate three times and Trump’s economic policies have hurt Ohions badly during the past 18 months. This will be a close race. Currently, it is rated “Lean Republican” by the Cook Political Report and Sabato’s Crystal Ball. Race to the White House rates it a toss-up and the New York Times aggregate of polls is 3 to 6 points in favor of Husted. But Trump’s policies make a Brown victory within reach. And that victory would be a major step toward Democrats regaining the Senate majority.
TX – James Talarico
This promises to be among the most exciting races of 2026. Now that Texan Republicans have chosen scandal-plagued Ken Paxton as their candidate and Democrats have in special elections seen gains among Hispanic voters, a statewide seat in Texas could go blue for the first time in decades and potentially help deliver Democratic control of the Senate. The Democratic candidate, James Talerico has already ignited excitement about his inclusive campaign seeking to expand the Texas Democratic coalition. Talarico, a Presbyterian seminarian and former public school teacher, has been a member of the Texas House of Representatives since 2018. His campaign’s message — unity against billionaires who seek to divide people, and a willingness welcome Republicans and independents into the fold, despite political differences – has been well received by Texas voters. While Talarico has the fundraising advantage right now, we know that with GOP primary over, the Republican party is expected to pour tens of millions of dollars into this race to support Paxton. Running in an expensive media market, Talarico will need help to win this race against the formidable GOP fundraising machine.
