Democrats are no longer ruling out winning Senate seats in Mississippi, Florida and South Carolina in the 2026 midterms, according to Le Monde.fr's live coverage published Thursday. The French outlet framed the shift as a change in the party's expectations for races it had previously treated as out of reach.
The broader picture remains unsettled. L'Express reports that Democrats continue to lead in polling but that a decisive "blue wave" is still not guaranteed. Le Monde.fr's coverage also notes the party's outlook in the Senate contests alongside that uncertainty.
Other French outlets described a campaign marked by unusual moves. Le Figaro reported that Donald Trump has promised large giveaways to voters as the midterms approach, quoting criticism that he is reduced to "buying people." RFI, meanwhile, traced a resurgence of American socialists, from Bernie Sanders to Zohran Mamdani. Courrier international posed the question of whether the midterms mark the beginning of the end for Trump.
Taken together, the reports point to a midterm cycle in which Democratic ambitions have widened while the size of any national swing stays in question. The state of the Senate map, and whether Democratic gains extend into traditionally Republican territory, is the central uncertainty.
What to watch next: whether polling in Mississippi, Florida and South Carolina moves enough for those Senate races to be treated as genuinely competitive.