Senate Democrats' campaign chief says 'every state's on the table' in fight for majority

Democrats volition person to triumph immoderate reddish states if they person immoderate anticipation of taking power of the Senate adjacent year, and the legislator tasked with starring that effort believes President Donald Trump has fixed them an opening aft helium won those states easy months ago.

“I look astatine the map, and each state’s connected the array due to the fact that of this increasing backlash that President Trump’s decisions person created, with his cuts to Medicaid and his unwillingness to code affordability issues,” Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand, D-N.Y., told NBC News successful an interrogation astatine the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee office connected Wednesday.

Gillibrand besides said she isn't ruling retired taking sides successful Democratic primaries arsenic her enactment looks to nett 4 Senate seats to instrumentality power of the chamber, saying that she is “definitely not ruling retired thing successful immoderate state.”

“We’re going to look astatine each authorities connected a case-by-case ground and marque our appraisal arsenic to who’s the champion campaigner successful that state, and past marque decisions based connected that,” Gillibrand said.

Democrats' ripest targets successful 2026 are GOP Sens. Susan Collins of Maine, which Trump mislaid by astir 7 percent points successful November, and Thom Tillis of North Carolina, which Trump won by 3 points. Both incumbents are battle-tested, winning contested races successful their past cycles connected the ballot.

Former Democratic Rep. Wiley Nickel has already launched a tally successful North Carolina, portion erstwhile House staffer Jordan Wood is moving successful Maine. But Democrats are inactive eyeing Maine Gov. Janet Mills and erstwhile North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper arsenic possible recruits.

While Cooper is weighing a run, Mills has not precisely sounded enthusiastic astir challenging Collins, telling the Maine Trust for Local News successful April, “I’m not readying to tally for anything. Things alteration week to week, period to month, but astatine this infinitesimal I’m not readying to tally for different office.”

Asked if it has been hard to enlistee against Collins, who has a grounds of winning pugnacious races, including triumph successful 2020 adjacent arsenic Trump mislaid Maine decisively, Gillibrand said antagonistic absorption to Trump’s policies is “changing the reasoning of a batch of imaginable candidates.”

“So I americium definite we volition person formidable candidates successful North Carolina and Maine due to the fact that of this increasing backlash that President Trump has created,” Gillibrand said.

Even if Democrats triumph those 2 states, and clasp connected to their existent seats successful different battlegrounds, they would inactive request to flip 2 further Senate seats successful states Trump won by treble digits past twelvemonth to get to a majority. That could mean targeting ruby reddish states similar Texas, Iowa, Alaska, South Carolina and others.

Democrats bash not presently clasp a azygous Senate spot successful the 24 states that Trump carried successful each 3 of his statesmanlike runs, aft respective red-state losses successful 2024. And Trump won each of those states by treble digits past year.

Gillibrand said the “magic formula” for Democratic occurrence involves a operation of “deep Republican backlash” to Trump and immoderate of his policies, similar slashing societal information nett programs and imposing steep tariffs, and “extraordinarily beardown candidates who correspond their states well,” arsenic good arsenic boosts from the DSCC to assistance those candidates physique up their campaigns.

Contested Democratic primaries are already taking signifier successful Iowa, wherever GOP Sen. Joni Ernst is up for re-election, arsenic good arsenic successful competitory states wherever Democrats are defending unfastened seats, including Michigan and Minnesota.

Ernst has besides been successful the spotlight for responding to a constituent astatine a municipality hallway who suggested the House Republicans’ projected Medicaid cuts could origin radical to dice and saying, “Well, we each are going to die.”

Asked if specified comments springiness Democrats a amended changeable astatine defeating Ernst adjacent year, Gillibrand said Ernst’s remarks exemplify Trump’s “very callous attack towards wellness care, cutting seniors, cutting radical with disabilities, children, large women and veterans disconnected of their Medicaid.”

Gillibrand said those cuts are creating “a important backlash that surely puts a authorities similar Iowa successful play” on with “many different reddish states astir the country.”

Democrats, meanwhile, are going to beryllium focused connected “commonsense, room array issues” of affordability and nationalist safety, Gillibrand said.

The New York Democrat argued those were winning messages for palmy candidates successful her location authorities past year, wherever she led a coordinated run with Gov. Kathy Hochul and House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries to boost Democratic House candidates.

Democrats flipped 3 GOP-held House seats successful New York adjacent arsenic Trump made gains passim the state. Trump yet mislaid New York but improved connected his 2020 predetermination borderline by 11 points, which was the biggest plaything toward Trump of immoderate authorities successful the country.

Republicans are looking to capitalize connected Trump’s gains arsenic they people Hochul successful her re-election tally adjacent year, arsenic good arsenic different House Democrats. (Gillibrand said she is supporting Hochul for re-election arsenic she faces a superior challenge from Lt. Gov. Antonio Delgado.)

Republicans are besides looking to reprise attacks connected Democrats implicit whether transgender women should beryllium allowed to vie successful pistillate sports.

One Nation, a nonprofit tied to the GOP ace PAC Senate Leadership Fund, already launched an attack connected the contented against Democratic Sen. Jon Ossoff successful Georgia. Ossoff represents 1 of 2 states, on with Michigan, that Democrats are defending that Trump besides carried past year.

“Each campaigner volition code it arsenic they spot fit,” Gillibrand said erstwhile asked however Democrats should respond to those attacks.

Gillibrand said she is “very optimistic that Sen. Ossoff volition not lone triumph his race, but amusement remainder of the country, you know, who helium is and what Democrats basal for.”