The 2026 midterm elections are already shaping up to be a political battleground, with both Democrats and Republicans making bold moves in key states. From Pennsylvania’s swing districts to the Senate races in Iowa and New Hampshire, the fight for control of Congress is heating up, and the stakes could hardly be higher. With just three seats standing between Democrats and a House majority, and Senate races in several battleground states up for grabs, party operatives and candidates are pulling out all the stops.
In Pennsylvania, Democrats are riding a wave of optimism as they try to regain ground in the U.S. House. On September 2, 2025, Scranton Mayor Paige Cognetti announced her bid for Congress, throwing her hat into the ring for the 2026 midterms. According to the Associated Press, Cognetti’s candidacy is seen as a major boost for Democrats, who have identified Pennsylvania as their best chance to gain multiple seats without the need to redraw congressional lines. The state holds four of the 35 seats nationwide that Democrats are targeting, and party leaders say the road to a House majority likely runs right through Pennsylvania.
Cognetti, 45, brings an impressive résumé to the table, with experience in the U.S. Treasury Department and on the Scranton school board. She’s no stranger to tough campaigns, having beaten her own party’s nominee in 2019 to become mayor of Scranton—a city that’s historically Democratic but has leaned toward Donald Trump in recent presidential elections. “People here are sick of self-serving politicians,” Cognetti told the Associated Press. “I’ve shown in Scranton that we can build government for people and be honest with people. I have done it with an independent streak and I think we will be able to take that successfully to the whole district.”
Her main target is freshman Republican Representative Rob Bresnahan, in a district that’s become a microcosm of the national political divide. The district, which includes the birthplace of President Joe Biden, voted for Trump in the last three presidential cycles. Still, Democratic campaign strategist Brittany Crampsie is bullish about the party’s prospects, saying, “Top down, going into next year, I have been blown away by recruitment. People want to run in seats where we had to do strong-arming to get candidates to say ‘yes’ last year, three years ago.” Crampsie called Cognetti and others “the future of the Democratic Party.”
Cognetti isn’t the only high-profile Democrat jumping into the fray. Just last week, Bob Brooks, the head of Pennsylvania’s state firefighters’ union, announced his candidacy in the neighboring district currently held by Republican Ryan Mackenzie. Brooks comes with the backing of Governor Josh Shapiro, U.S. Rep. Chris Deluzio, Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders, and several labor unions. According to Brooks, “The party of labor, I believe, is the Democrat Party, but I don’t think the Democrat Party talks about or to the working class people anymore, and I think we need to get back to that. The Republicans, they talked about us, they talk to us, but then they go down to DC and they vote against us.”
While Democrats are feeling energized in the House, the Senate map presents a much tougher challenge. As Bloomberg reported on September 3, 2025, the Democrats’ problems in the Senate go deeper than just a tough map—they’re structural and entrenched. The party’s path to a majority runs through so-called “Trump 25” counties, areas that have consistently supported the former president. Winning over these voters is proving to be a tall order, and the article warns that the difficulty of regaining Senate control is a deep political challenge that won’t be solved by a single election cycle.
One of the most closely watched Senate races is in New Hampshire, where former Senator John E. Sununu is considering a comeback bid. Fox News reported on September 3, 2025, that Senate Majority Leader John Thune and former Senator Cory Gardner have been in talks with Sununu about running for the seat being vacated by retiring Democratic Senator Jeanne Shaheen. Sununu, who served in the Senate from 2003 to 2009 and previously represented New Hampshire in the House, is seen as a formidable candidate with strong name recognition. He defeated Shaheen in 2002, only to lose to her in 2008.
Should Sununu jump into the race, he’ll face competition from other Republicans, including former Senator Scott Brown and state Senator Dan Innis. On the Democratic side, four-term Representative Chris Pappas is the clear frontrunner, though progressive organizer Karishma Manzur is also in the running. Pappas didn’t mince words when he addressed the Republican field, saying, “NH wants leaders who'll stand up to Trump and special interests to build an economy that works for all. Instead the GOP is scraping the bottom of the failed candidate barrel. Whether it’s corporate sellout John E. Sununu or MAGA puppet Scott Brown, NH voters won't buy it.”
The New Hampshire race is expected to be both competitive and expensive, as Republicans look to expand their Senate majority. The GOP is also targeting battleground states like Georgia and Michigan, while defending open seats in North Carolina and Iowa. In fact, Iowa’s political landscape was upended on September 2, 2025, when U.S. Rep. Ashley Hinson announced her campaign for the U.S. Senate seat currently held by Joni Ernst, who has decided not to seek a third term. As reported by the Des Moines Register, Hinson, 42, has pledged to be President Trump’s “top ally in the United States Senate.”
“My priorities have been Iowans’ priorities,” Hinson said in a radio interview. “I continue to hear those every single day as I’m out in my congressional district and soon to be the entire state. And I’m running to be President Trump’s top ally in the United States Senate, because we have to be working on continuing to deliver that America First agenda that is working for Iowans every single day.” Hinson plans to visit all 99 counties in Iowa, a nod to the state’s tradition of retail politics, and has already lined up endorsements from several prominent Republicans, including U.S. Reps. Zach Nunn, Steve Scalise, and Senators Markwayne Mullin, Katie Britt, and Jim Banks. She’s also sitting on a war chest of $2.8 million, giving her a financial edge.
The Iowa Senate race is expected to be a hotly contested affair, with other Republican candidates like Jim Carlin and Joshua Smith already in the mix. Five Democrats have also announced campaigns, including state Sen. Zach Wahls and state Rep. Josh Turek. Hinson’s decision to run for the Senate opens up her 2nd District seat, which Democrats are targeting as a potential pickup in their quest for the House majority.
As the 2026 midterms approach, both parties are grappling with internal challenges and external headwinds. Democrats are working to recruit strong candidates in key districts, banking on local stars like Cognetti and Brooks to energize their base. Republicans, meanwhile, are leveraging the popularity of Donald Trump and a favorable Senate map to defend and potentially expand their majority. But as recent history has shown, nothing is certain in American politics. The only guarantee is that the next year will be full of surprises, fierce competition, and, perhaps, a few upsets along the way.
