“Senate Democrats have taken out a $15 million loan as they hope to expand their map in the final days before the midterms,” Politico reports.

“Nine days after next month’s midterm elections, three prominent Democrats who are widely believed to have presidential ambitions will join other potential 2028 party contenders in Denver to discuss the future of the party,” CBS News reports.

“Sens. Cory Booker of New Jersey and Chris Van Hollen of Maryland, as well as Rep. Ro Khanna of California, are among the latest additions who plan to join the ‘What’s Next’ summit.”

“Welcome to the 2026 midterms, a months-long contest to prove who is the manliest man. Oh, and to win control of the House and Senate,” the Washington Post reports.

”You’ve seen the highlight reel: Abdul El-Sayed repeatedly calling his opponent a ‘beta.’ James Talarico firing back against GOP attacks that he is ‘too low-T for Texas.’ A sweaty Beau Bayh, running for Indiana secretary of state, pumping weights in a campaign ad — one of many candidates flaunting their physical strength to break through with voters.”

”Democrats are desperate to prove they’ve learned their lesson after men propelled Republicans to victory in 2024. They agree they need to talk to men again. But the chaotic midterm elections show they have very different ideas about how to do it.”

Washington Sun: “After being a firmly Republican state for most of its existence, Alaska has slowly but steadily moved left in recent elections, becoming more supportive of Democratic candidates at every level of elected office. By 2024, the state was more politically similar to right-of-center battlegrounds like Ohio and Iowa, where Democrats are often at least competitive statewide, than to the conservative strongholds like Wyoming and Idaho it used to resemble.”

“And unlike Ohio and Iowa, Alaska is continuing to move left: A Washington Sun analysis of presidential results found that from the 2000 election to 2024 election, Alaska shifted 20 points to the left relative to the national popular vote. That’s the fourth most of any state, trailing only Vermont, Colorado and Utah, according to the analysis.”

“Former Vice President Kamala Harris on Wednesday said she would be campaigning later this month in Mississippi, New Hampshire and Wisconsin, as part of her tour to support Democratic candidates in the midterms,” the New York Times reports.

Roll Call: National leaders crisscross the country at campaign crunch time.

“Hillary Clinton is launching a new podcast with tech journalist and podcast host Kara Swisher ahead of the midterms, part of an effort to promote Democratic candidates and push her priorities as the election nears its final stretch,” the Washington Sun reports.

“The chair of the Montana Democratic Party resigned the position Monday and became the latest Democrat to endorse an independent candidate over the party’s Senate nominee, Alani Bankhead,” the Washington Post reports.

“Democrats should not misinterpret the results of midterm and say, ‘Well, great, we won some seats. That means everyone loves the Democrats again.’ The Democrats owe a positive, affirmative agenda to the public, and a midterm tends to be kind of a protest vote against the leader in power.”

— Sen. Elissa Slotkin (D-MI), quoted by the Washington Post.

“Democrats’ eyes may be bigger than their wallets,” Politico reports.

“Democrats across a slate of deep-red states are clamoring for more cash to fight for Senate seats that suddenly seem within reach, with polling showing them competitive across a swath of normally impregnable territory from Kansas to Florida and South Carolina to Mississippi prompting a sudden bump in late-stage spending from outside groups. The party’s main campaign groups have already begun spending in Texas, another state they once downplayed that’s come seriously into play.”

“But those same groups say they don’t have enough cash to protect the core battleground and also make significant investments beyond it — setting up Democrats for a series of difficult choices in the closing weeks of the midterms.”

While Democratic candidates have done a good job raising money, this would be why a healthier DNC is still important.

“A group of potential 2028 Democratic presidential candidates is heading to Denver days after the midterms to discuss the party’s future, in one of the party’s first major gatherings following the election,” CNN reports.

“Attendees will include former Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg and former U.S. Ambassador to Japan Rahm Emanuel, as well as Sens. Ruben Gallego of Arizona, Chris Murphy of Connecticut, Raphael Warnock of Georgia and Elissa Slotkin of Michigan… The group of speakers also includes Govs. Mikie Sherrill of New Jersey and Abigail Spanberger of Virginia, plus several additional members of Congress.”