Democrats are increasingly optimistic about retaking the Senate in the midterm elections — an aspiration that appeared all but out of reach at the start of President Donald Trump’s second term.
The political terrain heading into November remains forbidding for Democrats, who need to win races in at least five states that Trump carried in 2024 to recapture the Senate. But Trump’s crumbling approval ratings and the Iran war’s weight on the economy have given the party fresh hope less than six months from Election Day, even as big hurdles remain.
