Tough call, but I would rather vote “No” as a member of the minority and allow a government shutdown, than vote “Yes” and implicitly approve this wrecking-ball Presidency and the GOP majority’s supine reaction to it.
Out of these nine, Dick Durbin is the only one whose term is up in 2026 and hasn’t announced he’s retiring.
He needs to be the #1 target for a primary challenge.
With Shaheen (D) retiring I thought it likely Gov. Sununu (R) would run for her seat making it tough for the Democrats to hold. Now he has said he won’t run in ‘26.
That’s some potentially good news.
If Witmer and Buttigieg don’t run, then what Dem will?
State Sen. Mallory McMorrow has announced.
Congresswoman Haley Stevens is considering it, I think MI AG Dana Nessel is considering it too. Former State Speaker Joe Tate is likely tossing his hat in the ring, and 2018 gubernatorial candidate Abdul el-Sayed just quit his job running the Wayne County Dept of Health last week to explore a run.
I love el-Sayed, but just don’t think Michigan’s ready for a Muslim to represent them in the Senate. McMorrow has my vote.
News from Texas: AG Paxton will challenge Cormyn for his Senate seat:
If Paxton wins, and he’s likely going to take the bulk of the MAGA voters, it should make it easier for the Dems to flip that seat. Especially in a blue wave election, which 2026 is likely to be.
A Michigan update:
If minorities waited until America was “ready” we’d still have Jim Crow today.
Bad news from Colorado, although I suspect the seat will stay blue: https://thehill.com/homenews/campaign/5243678-sen-michael-bennet-governor-colorado/
Wouldn’t outgoing and term limited Governor Polis be an obvious choice to run for the seat Bennet is leaving?
I have no idea if he is interested but I know his name has been bandied about as a possible candidate for POTUS at some point and he is only 49 so a term or two in the Senate might not be a bad idea. This could be a good way to get more notice on the national stage and run for the WH later.
Abdul el-Sayed makes it official in Michigan.
Lots of work to be done:
He has now announced:
Good. I’m a constituent and I’ve been calling his office once a week for last 2 months telling them it’s time for him to retire. His vote to pass the continuing resolution was the last straw for me. It is time for someone who will fight.
Our congressman, Republican Andy Barr, running for Mitch McConnell’s KY Senate seat, is positioning himself as the Trumpiest of Trump stooges, apparently in response to Club of Growth* attack ads claiming he’s a stealth progressive because he once allegedly agreed with a Democrat on something.
In a virtual “town hall” Barr not only vigorously defended Trumpian slime but made it clear how much he adores Musk.
https://www.kentucky.com/opinion/op-ed/article304715186.html#storylink=cpy
Barr has morphed into our worst Congressman ever, a neat trick since when we lived in Texas, our Congressman was Tom DeLay. 
The Billionaire Boys Club a.k.a. Club of Growth has been a major Trump funder and is pushing hard for his tax cut and deregulate agenda.
No guaranty Bennet will even win the primary.
He is not well loved by the blue voters here, especially the unions. I predict a primary challenge and that’s assuming Bennet wins and Polis is appointed to fill out his term.
And there is another possibility. If a true centrist Republican were to run (think similar to Phil Scott - VT) there is a chance they could win the governorship and or senate seat and drag the state back towards the purple camp. However, I don’t think the Colorado Republicans are that smart and instead we’ll get Boebert-type vs some corporate executive in the Republican primaries.
Good news for Senator Jon Ossoff in GA - Kemp declines to run in 2026 for the GOP nomination.
And MAGA is still around.
What was Trump about? What was MAGA about? Someone was ripping them off. Their world is a zero-sum world. If someone gets something, it is away from me. Medicaid, kids in headstart, maybe that blind man with the cane.
I totally missed understanding them. I am not against being taxed and I can see a need for many things we fund. I am shocked public schools being placed aside, so the GOP can build conservative institutions at all levels. Or maybe they just want the white working class uneducated.
Anyway, Fox News has been feeding this stuff to them for years. For at least 30 years the conservative media has been broadcasting all this stuff. And I failed to see that just by our presence, the teachers and scientists and people who get funding for jobs that are aimed at improving our lives…well, we have been ripping them off them too. What do they care about Harvard curing cancer, if they do not get paid enough for a comfortable living? Our effort, research, is a waste that is away from them. The elites must not be supported by tax funds! Pay for it yourself! Get your rich elites to pay your research!
NC’s Thom Tillis not seeking reelection next year
https://thehill.com/homenews/senate/5375837-tillis-reelection-senate-north-carolina/
That’s terrific news.