These Democrat retirements potentially create openings for Republicans that did not exist before.
Three long-serving Democrat incumbents have announced that their current term will be their last, raising questions about the potential outcome of the 2026 midterm elections.
Since President Donald Trump and the Republicans took a trifecta in Washington in November 2024, Sens. Jeanne Shaheen (D-N.H.), Gary Peters (D-Mich.), and Tina Smith (D-Minn.) have announced their retirements.
Each seat lies in states decided by fewer than five points in 2024, making them ripe for either party to take.
Some see the retirement of these Democrats as a sign that Republicans are primed to increase their current 53-seat majority in the Senate.
Matt Johnston, a Republican strategist, told The Epoch Times that Republicans see the retirements as a sign of GOP surging.
“People retiring … is usually an indicator that they feel like … they’re in for a fight, and they just don’t have the fight left in them,” Johnston said.
Other experts gave alternate appraisals, with many suggesting that it is too early to say anything for sure.
Here is what to know about the retirements, and what they could mean for the 2026 midterm elections.
New Hampshire
The Granite State has long been renowned for its left-leaning independent streak.
In 2024, Republicans won a trifecta led by Gov. Kelly Ayotte. But in the same contest, then-Vice President Kamala Harris beat Trump by a 2.78 percent margin.
A senator since 2009, Shaheen was governor of New Hampshire from 1997 to 2003. In 2020, she won reelection by about 16 points, becoming the first New Hampshire Democrat ever elected to three full Senate terms.
Explaining her reasoning for retiring in an announcement video posted online, Shaheen said, “It’s just time.”
Her retirement means Republicans could be poised to take a seat in New Hampshire’s Senate delegation for the first time since 2016.
Richard Groper, political science professor at California State University, told The Epoch Times that Republicans’ best bet would be to run former Gov. Chris Sununu, who left office in January.
“New Hampshire is a wild card, because the Granite State has always been a purple state: It’s kind of lean blue, but they have a red governor,” Groper said. “So if Sununu does run, he has great name recognition, and that could be hard to overcome for Democrats.”
By Joseph Lord and Jackson Richman
