Special Elections and the Midterms

Take a look at these headlines:

• “Special election shocker has Florida Republicans nervous” (Politico)

• “Texas state Senate election shows ‘trouble’ for GOP” (NBC News)

• “Iowa Democrat Appears to Flip State Legislative Seat in Upset Victory” (The New York Times)

• “‘We got our butts kicked.’ Republicans rattled by Democratic momentum ahead of midterms” (PBS News)

If there’s been one consistent message from American voters since Trump retook office, it’s that they are sick of Trump and Senate Republicans’ chaos, corruption, and price hikes -- and they’re already making their voices heard at the ballot box.

These victories show that voters are looking for change, and there’s a backlash to the chaos and damage from the Republicans in office -- even in states and districts Republican candidates used to win by double digits.

Over the last year and a half, Democrats have flipped dozens of red seats blue, while Republicans have failed to flip a single legislative seat. Democrats have overperformed in all of the special election races for seats in Congress, and we’ve gained significant ground in districts across the map.

Now, the midterms are mere months away, and Democrats need to flip just four U.S Senate seats to take back the majority.

With four more seats in the blue column, we’d have 51 -- enough to take the Senate out of the hands of Trump, Vance, and their allies.

Crucially, many of the biggest midterm battlegrounds have already seen Democratic successes in special elections. Democratic candidates have flipped state legislative seats in Texas and Iowa -- in districts Trump carried handily in 2024 -- and now, U.S. Senate races are heating up in both states. And in Florida, Democrats have now flipped multiple seats blue -- including Donald Trump’s own State House district, home to his Mar-a-Lago.

If we keep up the trend and flip GOP-held Senate seats like these, we’ll have multiple paths to retake the Senate.

Voters from Iowa to Texas to Florida are all proving that Americans are ready for change. If we flip GOP-held states where Democrats notched special election victories, we can deliver that change -- and a Democratic majority that will stand up for hardworking families.

Republicans won’t be resting on their laurels between now and November -- especially now that voters have put them on notice.

Republicans are building a warchest -- and they’ll use those millions to try to rebuild their brand.

Trump and Senate Republicans’ agenda has been disastrous for the American people -- so we have to work overtime to make sure that the GOP and their megadonors don’t flood the zone and risk our chances in November.

Democrats are running strong, smart campaigns that are ready to win in November. If you want to help flip the Senate, you can subscribe to our Substack for regular updates here, follow us on social media to help spread the word, or donate whatever you can to help fund our operations, flip seats, and take back the majority.

Together, we’ll make the midterm elections special.

Thank you,

Team DSCC

Join us here at The Senate Democrats for updates, readouts, and check-ins on our road to victory. Onward to the midterms!