“Dan Osborn, an industrial mechanic who ran as an independent Senate candidate in Nebraska, came up short in his quest to unseat Senator Deb Fischer, a low-profile Republican whose closer-than-expected victory in a red state clinched Senate control for her party on election night,” the New York Times reports.

“But Mr. Osborn’s 47 percent of the vote in Nebraska well outpaced Vice President Kamala Harris’s 39 percent, and in what he called his ‘almost success,’ there might be clues to how a more populist approach could wrest the working class from Republicans, not through partisan warfare but class consciousness.”

“Donald Trump’s team — convinced that the Senate GOP campaign arm and its top allied super PAC are hiring “Never Trumpers” for key roles — is preparing to launch its own super PAC to compete in the next round of Senate races in 2026,“ Politico reports.

“The plan, if carried out, would upend the party’s traditional method of competing in Senate races and could cause major discord among powerful GOP financial players — pitting Trump and his new regime against longtime GOP donors seeking to influence competitive Senate races. The move could disperse money across multiple entities and hinder the Senate Leadership Fund, a group that was created to be a centralized GOP clearinghouse for Senate spending.”

Former Rhode Island Gov. Gina Raimondo — a Democrat who is facing the end of her tenure as U.S. Commerce secretary due to Donald Trump’s victory last week — is considering making another run for governor, Rhode Island Public Radio reports.

“Sen. Tim Scott’s tenure as chairman of the Senate GOP’s campaign arm is starting with a controversial hire,” NOTUS reports.

“Stephen DeMaura — the former campaign manager for Mike Pence’s most recent presidential campaign — is expected to be the new executive director of the National Republican Senatorial Committee.”

“But the hire has already ruffled the feathers of many Republicans on Capitol Hill, with some GOP aides telling NOTUS they see it as a ‘strange’ and ‘weird’ decision given Donald Trump’s return to the White House.”

Rep. Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) is keeping her options open for re-election in 2026.

Daniel Block: “The real problem for Democrats is that the 2024 map was only slightly harsher than usual. Going forward, every Senate election is going to be brutal. The institution is so skewed in favor of the current Republican coalition that Democrats need at least a few red-state seats to win consistent majorities. Now they have none.”

“The partisan divide of the 50 states is not an immutable fact of nature, but here’s how things look for the foreseeable future: 24 states are solidly red; 17 are solidly blue. Over the past three presidential cycles, only six states have swung back and forth: Pennsylvania, Michigan, Wisconsin, Georgia, Arizona, and Nevada. Throw in New Hampshire, North Carolina, and Minnesota—where Trump or Kamala Harris won by about four points or less—and America has nine purple states in total, representing 18 Senate seats. To hold the chamber, Republicans need to win just two of those seats if they control the presidency, and three if they don’t. Democrats need to sweep almost all of them. They must pitch perfect game after perfect game to have a shot at even the narrowest majorities.”

“And even a perfect game will not be enough in the 2026 midterms. That year’s map features just two realistic pickup opportunities: Maine and North Carolina. Democrats, meanwhile, will need to defend seats in Georgia, Michigan, New Hampshire, and Minnesota. Unless they pull off a major upset, they can at most cut the GOP majority to 51.”

While almost half the country sees former President Donald Trump as a fascist, according to a new ABC News/Ipsos poll published Friday, some who believe that say they’ll still vote for him.

Among registered voters who regard Trump as a fascist, 8% support him regardless, the poll found.

“Sen. Tim Scott (R-SC) is expected to jump into the race for NRSC chair for the 2026 cycle,” Punchbowl News reports.

“Scott, who’s in line to chair the Senate Banking Committee next year if Republicans win the majority, was making calls to GOP senators over the weekend expressing his interest in the job.”

Michael Cohen told New York Magazine that he will challenge Rep. Jerry Nadler (D-NY) in the 2026 Democratic primary: “He’s been in office 30 years. We thank him for his service, but it’s enough already.”

Nadler responded to Playbook: “What a great country America is. Anyone can run for Congress — even con men.”

“Gov. Brian Kemp is no die-hard Donald Trump supporter after clashing with the former president for much of the past three years. And he’s steered clear of increasingly MAGA-fied Georgia GOP events since 2022,” the Atlanta Journal Constitution reports.

“So why is he headed to the Republican National Convention in Milwaukee in July?”

“The second-term governor doesn’t have a formal speaking slot during the four-day event, and he may not get one. But he aims to continue to build his influence, both within and without MAGA world, as he contemplates whether to challenge Democratic U.S. Sen. Jon Ossoff in 2026 or run for president in 2028.”