ICYMI: Wave of Recruitment Wins Give Democrats a “Credible Path to the [Senate] Majority”

“You have major governors on the Republican side that are passing on runs, while you see the best possible [Democratic] recruits coming in […] which is going to lay out the path to the majority” 

After a string of “star recruits in marquee races,” “the Senate map suddenly looks a lot better for Democrats” with a “credible path to the [Senate] majority.” Meanwhile, “bruising Republican primary battles” and embarrassing Republican recruitment failures “will create openings” across the map. 

See for yourself:

POLITICO: The Senate map suddenly looks a lot better for Democrats. But still not a slam dunk

• Democrats are increasingly optimistic after former Sen. Sherrod Brown decided to run for his old seat and former Gov. Roy Cooper launched a bid in North Carolina.

• The success that Senate Democrats have had in luring battle-tested candidates into the arena stands in contrast to Republicans’ efforts this cycle.

• Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp […] decided against a run. Former New Hampshire Gov. Chris Sununu similarly opted against a bid for the seat left open by the retirement of Democratic Sen. Jeanne Shaheen, even after winning Trump’s support.

• Republicans have also lost an incumbent to retirement — and there could be more.

• North Carolina Sen. Thom Tillis announced he was not running for reelection after Trump attacked him for voting against advancing his megabill. In Iowa, Sen. Joni Ernst has not formally announced she is seeking reelection, and the White House saw it necessary to encourage her to try for another term. Collins got her dream job as Senate Appropriations chair only to see her power undermined by Trump[.]

Cook Political Report: ‘A No-Room-For-Error Game’: Senate Dems Eye a Perilous but Plausible Path to the Majority

• With aggressive Democratic recruiting successes, most recently with the news that former Sen. Sherrod Brown is poised to run again in Ohio, there is now a slim but yet plausible path by which they could regain Senate control. 

• It’s undeniable that Democratic chances have improved in the last few months[.]

• Republican Gov. Brian Kemp passed on running and kicked off a thorny GOP primary instead.

• Kemp, fresh off a 2024 detente with Trump, had hoped he and the White House could unite behind a singular candidate, but that may be a pipe dream after Kemp reportedly exasperated Trumpworld by putting his thumb on the scale early for Dooley.

NBC: Democrats score another big Senate recruiting win

• Former Sen. Sherrod Brown [is] a major recruiting win for Democrats who need to catch every break they can in their uphill fight for the majority in the chamber.

• Brown is viewed by Democrats as one of the few, if not the only, members of their party who could put the seat in the red-trending state in play next year.
• The news comes just weeks after Democrats successfully convinced popular former Gov. Roy Cooper to enter the North Carolina Senate race. Democrats feel even better about the chances Cooper […] particularly with incumbent Republican Thom Tillis declining to seek another term. 

The Hill: Sherrod Brown gives Democrats jolt of enthusiasm in Ohio

• Those totals show Brown was much more popular with Ohio voters than former President Biden and former Vice President Kamala Harris, and Democrats think a lower-turnout midterm election could carry him to victory.

• But Pepper noted Trump won’t be on the ballot next year, and he said a hidden trend has been conservative-leaning counties not being quite as solidly Republican in some elections more recently. “If that continues to be a trend in ‘26, all of a sudden Ohio is a winnable state for good Democratic candidates,” he said. 

National Journal: Senate Democrats’ Recruitment Coup 

• [Democrats are] winning the recruitment wars.

• Democrats have landed their star recruits in marquee races in North Carolina and New Hampshire, and reports indicate that former Sen. Sherrod Brown (D-OH) will make another go in Ohio[.]

• Meanwhile, big name Republicans in Georgia—term-limited Gov. Brian Kemp—and New Hampshire—former Gov. Chris Sununu—passed on Senate bids. […] GOP strategists have also told Hotline they’re not thrilled that 2024 nominee Mike Rogers (R) is making another go in Michigan.

New York Times: Sherrod Brown Plans to Try for a Senate Comeback in Ohio

• The former three-term senator is said to be running to get his old job back, delivering a recruitment coup for Democrats facing an uphill battle to win a Senate majority next year.

• Mr. Brown is the second top-flight recruit for Democrats this summer. Former Gov. Roy Cooper of North Carolina announced in July that he would run for that state’s open Senate seat. 

AP: Sherrod Brown, Ohio’s highest-profile Democrat, expected to seek a return to the US Senate in 2026

• His entry into the race would mark another major recruiting win for the party. While Democrats face a daunting Senate map in next year’s midterm elections, they have been buoyed by the decisions of well known candidates to run in high-profile races. 

• Republicans, meanwhile, have struggled to line up candidates in key battleground states like Georgia, where term-limited Brian Kemp passed on [a Senate bid].

NY Magazine: Sherrod Brown Rescues Democrats’ 2026 Senate Hopes

• It wouldn’t take that much of a midterm breeze against the party controlling the White House to make a Senate race between Brown and Husted highly competitive. And it’s hard to envision any other Ohio Democrat who would have a decent shot at picking off a Senate seat.

• But finding the best available candidate in Ohio definitely makes Democratic Senate dreams more realistic. […] Nobody should underestimate Sherrod Brown.

Wall Street Journal: Sherrod Brown’s Ohio Bid Boosts Senate Hopes for Democrats

• The announcement from Brown, a former three-term senator, bolsters Democrats’ long-shot hopes of flipping back the Senate in the 2026 elections. 

• Democrats have focused on recruiting experienced candidates with a record of winning statewide elections.