Democrats are within striking distance in the Senate, but shouldn't celebrate yet

If the 2026 midterms were held today, polls suggest that Democrats would be the favorites to retake the Senate.

Indeed, according to RealClearPolitics polling averages, Democratic Senate candidates lead in North Carolina (+8%), Minnesota (+4%), Texas (+3%), Ohio (+3%), as well as Michigan, Maine, and Alaska (+2% each).

Moreover, with President Trump’s approval rating hovering just below 40%, it’s legitimate to ask whether his sagging approval numbers will drag down Republican candidates across the country.

12 RACES SCRAMBLE SENATE BATTLEFIELD AS DEMOCRATS EYE COMEBACK Needing to flip four seats — assuming no GOP pickups in Michigan, Minnesota, or Georgia — the Senate is well within striking distance for Democrats, according to the data.

That being said, the midterms are not today, and roughly two months until Election Day is a considerable amount of time.

In that same vein, the Democratic candidates in these races have a number of personal and party-wide vulnerabilities, so it is by no means clear that what may currently look possible — or even probable — will come to fruition.

TRUMP'S APPROVAL RATING PLUMMETS TO NEW LOW AHEAD OF CRITICAL MIDTERMS: 'MORE WORK TO DO' I say this for a number of reasons.

First, outside of North Carolina and Texas, in each state, the Democrats’ polling advantages are well within the margin of error.

Voters tend to turn their attention to midterms only after the summer ends, so it is entirely conceivable that these numbers reflect high-frequency voters, which often benefits Democrats.

Second, and perhaps more important, frustration with the Trump administration will only get Democrats so far — candidate quality remains a deciding factor for many moderates and swing voters.

LEE CARTER: THE SUMMER POLLS MISSED THE POINT: VOTERS ARE MOVING — AND THE MIDTERMS BEGIN The success of candidates affiliated with, or members of, the Democratic Socialists of America has opened a lane for Republicans to paint all Democrats as out-of-touch, far-left extremists.

In 2024, then-candidate Donald Trump effectively painted former Vice President Kamala Harris as too far left on hot-button social issues, and Democrats have only moved further left since.

DEMOCRATIC INFIGHTING GROWS AS CONGRESSWOMAN EXPOSES ‘DISRESPECTFUL’ WELCOME OF SOCIALISTS INTO ‘BIG TENT’ On this, races in Texas, Michigan, and Maine in particular will be crucial to watch and may represent Republicans’ best hope of maintaining control of the upper chamber.

As I’ve noted previously in these pages , the Democrats in those races — James Talarico, Abdul El-Sayed , and Troy Jackson, respectively — are so far to the political left that it’s easy to see how voters could be turned off.