Politics
JUST IN: Democrats Get Brutal Update For 2026 Midterms
A perilous 2026 map for U.S. Senate Democrats only became more so on Tuesday with the announcement by a giant in the body that he will not seek reelection.
Every two years, one-third of the Senate is up for reelection, and while more Republicans than Democrats will face the voters in 2026, most are comfortably ensconced in red-state seats that won’t prove hard to hold in general elections. Among the 20 to run in 2026, most observers believe Sens. Susan Collins (R-ME) and Thom Tillis (R-NC) to be most vulnerable.
To have just two at-risk members in its biennial class is a positive sign for the GOP and a mirror opposite of what Democrats face in the midterms. Thirteen Democratic seats will be up for grabs, and all eyes will be on states like Georgia, New Hampshire, Virginia, and Michigan, places where polling has shown incumbents to be vulnerable.
One incumbent not on that list, however, is Sen. Gary Peters (D-MI), who told the Detroit News that he will not seek reelection in 2026. The two-term senior senator of Michigan said he is ready to begin a “new chapter” in retirement.
“I always thought there would be a time that I would step aside and pass the reins for the next generation. I also never saw service in Congress as something you do your whole life,” said Peters, who was first elected to the Senate in 2014.
“I think this is pretty normal for everybody to say, ‘I’ve done a job, and I’m proud of the job I did, but there are other things I want to do in my life. There are other ways that I can give back to the community,’” Peters said. “I want to be very clear: I’m not retiring. I’m just not running for reelection in the Senate. I hope, God willing, I have a lot more good years ahead.”
The vacancy created by Peters is expected to be quickly filled as both parties jostle to produce their most formidable candidates before the 2026 primary elections.
Former GOP Congressman Mike Rogers is widely to take a serious look at making another Senate run. Rogers narrowly lost his 2024 campaign to Sen. Elissa Slotkin (D-MI) by just 0.3% of the vote. Seven of the state’s 13 congressmen are also Republicans, giving the GOP a healthy bench to draw from in advance of the contest.
Republicans currently hold 53 seats in the upper chamber, giving Majority Leader John Thune (R-SD) the leeway to push through conservative legislation without bending to the whims of the opposition. Last week’s unabridged passage of the Laken Riley Act is a primary example of the power that comes with a healthy majority.
If Republicans are lucky enough to pick off Peters’ seat in 2026, their ranks may only grow during the final two years of President Trump’s second term.