Then-Gov. Roy Cooper, a Democrat from North Carolina, speaks with reporters on Sept. 10, 2024, in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. (Paul Steinhauser - Fox News )
Moyer, a veteran campaign communicator, said that Cooper recruitment is "giving more faith to potential candidates who are questioning whether there’s a chance for a Democratic majority in the Senate next year."
Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer and Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee (DSCC) Chair Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand, after landing Cooper, said he "is a formidable candidate who will flip North Carolina’s Senate seat."
Top Democrats now have their eyes on former Sen. Sherrod Brown of Ohio, who lost last year's re-election bid in a onetime top swing state that's become reliably red over the past decade.
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Schumer, the top Democrat in the Senate, trekked to Ohio this summer in hopes of convincing Brown to take on Republican Sen. Jon Husted, Fox News confirmed.
Brown, who served over three decades in the House and later the Senate, is viewed by Democrats as the only candidate who could potentially topple Husted, who was named at the beginning of this year to fill the seat left vacant when then-Sen. JD Vance stepped down to become vice president.
Democratic Senate candidate in New Hampshire Rep. Chris Pappas is interviewed by Fox News Digital on July 4, 2025, in Portsmouth, N.H. (Paul Steinhauser - Fox News)
Meanwhile, a Republican primary in the state – where the GOP hasn't won a Senate race in 15 years – is heating up between former Sen. Scott Brown and state Sen. Dan Innis, with the possibility of more candidates entering the race.
In battleground Georgia, which President Donald Trump narrowly carried in last year's White House race, Republicans view first-term Sen. Jon Ossoff as the most vulnerable Democrat incumbent up for re-election next year.
But Ossoff is off to a very hot fundraising start, and a GOP primary between Reps. Mike Collins and Buddy Carter, and former college and professional football coach Derek Dooley, is starting to turn combustible.
Former Rep. Colin Allred of Texas, seen on the campaign trail last October, is running for a second straight election cycle for the Senate. (Reuters/Marco Bello)
Paxton has long been surrounded by scandals, and is now dealing with a headline-grabbing divorce with his wife, state Sen. Angela Paxtom. And Democrats believe if Paxton topples Cornyn in next March's GOP primary, he'll be toxic in the general election.
But Democrats could have a competitive primary in Texas as well.
Former Rep. Colin Allred, who lost to Cruz last November, launched a second straight campaign earlier this year.
Former Rep. Beto O'Rourke, who came close to ousting Cruz in the state's 20218 Senate election before unsuccessfully running for the 2020 Democratic presidential nomination and losing the 2022 Texas gubernatorial race to GOP Gov. Greg Abbott, is taking a hard look at a 2026 Senate run.
State Rep. James Talarico, who grabbed national attention recently for his appearance with popular podcaster Joe Rogan, and Rep. Joaquin Castro, are also mulling bids.
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Democrats also feel they may have a shot in Iowa – a onetime swing state that's become firmly red in recent election cycles – if Republican Sen. Joni Ernst decides against seeking a third term in the Senate.
But they'll likely have a much better chance of flipping a GOP-held seat in blue state Maine if longtime Republican incumbent Sen. Susan Collins decides against seeking re-election.
Paul Steinhauser is a politics reporter based in the swing state of New Hampshire. He covers the campaign trail from coast to coast."
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