‘Crushed The Hopes’: Longtime CNN Host Identifies ‘Major Problem’ For Democrats In 2026

Democrats are facing a steep climb to regain control of the Senate in 2026, according to former CNN political analyst Chris Cillizza. The announcement by New Hampshire Sen. Jeanne Shaheen that she will not seek reelection has only made that challenge more daunting, leaving Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) with dwindling options to retake the majority.

On Wednesday, Cillizza argued that Democrats are at a severe disadvantage due to key retirements and a lack of resources to mount an effective challenge. He noted that Shaheen’s decision, combined with other Democratic departures, has already dealt a heavy blow to their hopes.

“Even if we don’t see another retirement on the Democratic side, these three retirements already I think have crushed the hopes of Democrats who wanted to try to win back the Senate in 2026,” he said. Democrats need a net gain of four seats to reclaim the Senate, but the math is not in their favor.

With 22 Republican seats up for grabs and 13 Democrat-held seats on the line, the party might have hoped for an opening. However, Cillizza believes that reality paints a different picture.

“There’s a finite pot of money that gets spent on Senate races,” he explained. “And the truth is that at least in Michigan and New Hampshire, particularly if Chris Sununu [former Governor of New Hampshire] winds up being the Republican nominee, what you’re going to see is that to hold those seats, just to hold those seats for Democrats, the party is going to have to spend tens of millions of dollars.”

Cillizza said that the financial burden of defending key seats will make it difficult for Democrats to go on the offensive. “The money that gets spent there playing defense, just to hold Democratic seats, means money that doesn’t get spent playing offense in, let’s say, a state like Ohio, where Democrats are trying to recruit Sherrod Brown, the former senator, to take on John Huston, the appointed Republican senator.”

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While Democrats will likely invest heavily in challenging Republican incumbents like Susan Collins in Maine and Tom Tillis in North Carolina, those remain their only real pickup opportunities. Meanwhile, incumbents like Georgia’s Jon Ossoff are already in danger, with polls showing him vulnerable. “I just do not see it,” Cillizza said bluntly. “I don’t see the money there. I don’t see the energy there. I don’t see the candidates there to expand the playing field. And I think that’s a major, major problem for Democrats.”

Shaheen’s retirement announcement came in a video message Wednesday, where she said, “I ran for public office to make a difference for the people of New Hampshire. That purpose has never, and will never, change. But today, after careful consideration, I’m announcing that I have made the difficult decision not to seek reelection to the Senate in 2026.”

Though she insisted she is “not retiring” and plans to continue advocating for Democratic causes, her absence from the race is a major loss for the party. The Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee (DSCC), led by Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY), now faces the daunting task of filling her seat while also defending others.

New Hampshire has historically been a competitive battleground, with Shaheen’s 2014 re-election fight against former Sen. Scott Brown (R-MA) ranking among the most expensive races of that cycle. Brown, who has been seen meeting with Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-ND) and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, is rumored to be considering another bid.

According to the Cook Political Report, Republicans are projected to hold their 53-seat majority after the 2026 elections, in part due to Ossoff’s struggles in Georgia. Further complicating matters for Democrats, Sen. Gary Peters (D-MI) recently announced he would not seek reelection, jeopardizing another seat in a state that President Donald Trump won in 2024.

If Republicans can field strong candidates like former Rep. Mike Rogers in Michigan, their chances of solidifying their hold on the Senate increase dramatically.

With Democratic fundraising operations now in question and the party’s Senate map looking increasingly difficult to navigate, their path to regaining the majority appears narrower by the day. As retirements mount and financial struggles grow, Democrats may find themselves playing defense rather than launching a successful comeback.

For now, as Cillizza put it, their hopes of reclaiming the Senate in 2026 have effectively “gone poof.”