Democrats are desperate to recruit North Carolina’s Roy Cooper, Maine’s Janet Mills and Ohio’s Sherrod Brown to run for Senate seats next year, believing the trio would help their party in a way no other candidates could.
They’re just not sure any of them will actually run.
As the 2026 Senate map begins to take shape, Democrats are bracing for a long, potentially agonizing wait to find out if former North Carolina Gov. Cooper, Maine Gov. Mills or former Ohio Sen. Brown will launch campaigns in their respective home states. None of the three candidates is expected to announce a decision until the summer at the earliest; one could wait until the end of the year.