What Dems Should Do With 54 Senate Seats

The Bulwark ^ | 09 22 2026 | Jonathan V. Last

[yesthatjallen]

1. Hopium

Last week Tim talked with Jesse Lehrich, who walked through a scenario where the D’s wind up with 54 Senate seats a few weeks from now.

54.

That’s crazy. But not as crazy as it sounds. There is a path. All Dems have to do is run the table on the Big 5 races,1 win a gettable Iowa, and then luck into Kansas. Hell, if you want an even bigger hit of the dragon, you can get to 56 seats if there’s a backlash to Darline Graham in South Carolina and Dan Osborn overperforms in Nebraska.

What would Democrats do with 56 senators?

This would be a caucus with instantly vulnerable freshmen in Alaska and Texas. The South Carolina senator would be an assumed one-termer. There would be an independent from a red state. And John Fetterman.

Suddenly that 56-seat best-case scenario looks awfully soft.

SNIP

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TOPICS: Chit/Chat
KEYWORDS: billkristol; bulwark; democrats; lookwhohatesjews; lookwholovesdsa; natzy; quim1

[Theophilus]

My family and all will always vote.

But why should we care about the inevitable outcome?

Our GOP majority couldn't even muster the gumption to ensure election integrity. They can blame the blockade against Iran or gas prices all they want while they allow invading foreign criminals to stuff our ballot boxes by our own treasonous USPS.

[Widget Jr]

"How much of a fraud must Bill Kristol have been..."

Freepers have had Kristol's number for a long time now.

[wiseprince]

If Democrats get Alaska the Repukes will not be getting it back anytime soon. Ditto South Carolina

[wiseprince]

Trump is about the only person you can’t blame. When your party blocks just about everything you do and the judges block the rest it’s a grand scam to blame the person trying.

[jimwatx]

He’s always been a lefty except when it comes to Israel and fighting wars for Israel.

[Uncle Miltie]

Yeah, Trump can’t possibly walk and chew gum at the same time.

SMFH.

[MacNaughton]

Here’s is what the Democrats will do with 54 seats:

9/23/2026: “Fifteen Insane Democrat Policies That Would End the American Experiment if They Win”
https://x.com/JDRucker/status/2102795382464086079 https://freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/4396630/posts

1. Replace the Presidency and the Supreme Court With Congress
2. Abolish the Senate and the Electoral College
3. Give the Vote to Noncitizens and to People in Prison
4. Abolish ICE and Grant Amnesty to Every Illegal Alien
5. Nationalize the Commanding Heights of the Economy DSA wants public ownership of the largest corporations and essential industries. Energy. Transit. Housing. In older drafts, finance and insurance.
6. A Green New Deal That Phases Out American Energy
7. Medicare for All Plus “Gender-Affirming Care” as a Federal Entitlement
8. Codify Roe and Erase the Last Limits on Abortion
9. A 32-Hour Workweek at Full Pay
10. Social Housing, Universal Rent Control, and the End of the Landlord
11. Free College and the Cancellation of Every Student Loan
12. Reparations and a Second Reconstruction by Statute
13. Defund the Police on the Way to Abolishing Prisons
14. Defund the War Department and Cut Israel Loose
15. Use the First Hundred Days to Investigate, Impeach, and Reverse the Last Two Years

[sauropod]

The Bulwark?

/HURL

[MHT]

Nor was her brother. Graham always told audiences that he was electable. If it took riding the center on some issues, that was the price. And even if he was to be the most liberal Republican in the Senate, which he wasn’t, he still had an R after his name. One more seat to make the R’s in control. Elections are about winning and if you lose, there are consequences.

[Bruce Campbells Chin]

Calling them "our GOP majority" ignores that reality that every political party is a coalition, especially in a two-party system like ours. That inevitably means that some people are in our party -- even though they disagree with a lot of other members of the party -- simply because they have more disagreements with the other side.

In that kind of system, it is inevitable that you're never going to be able to unanimous party support on every vote. That's why having as large a margin as possible is so important -- it means you can afford to lose more people and still have the votes you need. Refusing to support the GOP because they don't give you all wins is simply foolish.

If you think there is no difference between having a Democrat majority and having a Republican one, you haven't been paying attention. The Democrat majorities are much, much worse.

If you want a better GOP majority, you have to elect more Republicans.

[Bruce Campbells Chin]

Nor was her brother. Graham always told audiences that he was electable. If it took riding the center on some issues, that was the price. And even if he was to be the most liberal Republican in the Senate, which he wasn’t, he still had an R after his name. One more seat to make the R’s in control. Elections are about winning and if you lose, there are consequences.

One place where party affiliation really matters is on confirmation votes. That's generally where the Senate majority leaders call in all their chips to ram through people as best they can.

[Theophilus]

Like I said, my family and I will always vote.

We're also going to praise and thank God when apostates are destroyed. There is nothing more cravenly suicidal than opposing election integrity.

Free and fair elections are the firewall against civil war.