McCaskill: Senate 'definitely in play' after Democrats' wins

After Tuesday’s election results, former Sen. Claire McCaskill (D-Mo.) said she is feeling more optimistic about Democrats’ chances of reclaiming the Senate in the 2026 midterms.

“We didn’t think the Senate was going to be in play next year,” McCaskill said Tuesday on MSNBC. “I think after tonight, the Senate’s definitely in play.”

Election Day saw Democrats nab victories in the three highest-profile races, as Abigail Spanberger and Mikie Sherrill won gubernatorial races in Virginia and New Jersey, respectively, and progressive Zohran Mamdani was elected the next mayor of New York City.

Proposition 50, a redistricting measure backed by Democratic California Gov. Gavin Newsom, also passed with more than 63 percent support. As a result, starting next year, the Golden State will adopt congressional maps drawn by the Democratic-controlled state Legislature until 2030.

Those results give McCaskill and other Democrats hope heading into the midterms, during which 35 Senate seats will be up for grabs. 

“Unless Donald Trump turns into a different person tomorrow, I think this trend will continue,” the former senator said.

Of those 35 seats, 22 are held by Republicans and 13 are held by Democrats. With the GOP holding a 53-47 majority in the upper chamber, Democrats need to flip four seats to reclaim an edge.

Four seats, in Georgia, Michigan, Maine and North Carolina, are considered toss-ups by the Cook Political Report. Two, in New Hampshire and Ohio, are considered Democratic and Republican leans, respectively. 

McCaskill specifically referenced former North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper and former Ohio Sen. Sherrod Brown as Democratic candidates who are “very happy” with Tuesday’s results.

All three of Spanberger, Sherrill and Mamdani, despite different ideological perspectives, centered their campaigns on affordability. It is a strategy that some Democrats believe can be replicated across the country, regardless of whether their candidates are progressive or centrist.

“It’s not about those labels, labels are completely broken,” Sydney Register, press secretary at the Progressive Campaign Chance Committee, told The Hill on Wednesday. “It’s about choosing to run on affordability and having an inspiring vision behind that.”