Are you looking for ways to stretch your limited donation budget so that you can make the biggest difference possible in the 2026 elections? If so, today I have two recommendations for you when it comes to helping Democrats retake the U.S. Senate in 2026: Mary Peltola in Alaska, and Josh Turek in Iowa, both running for U.S. Senate in 2026.
Control of the U.S. Senate is probably going to come down to four red states: Alaska, Iowa, Ohio and Texas. In 2024, Donald Trump won all of these states by between 11 and 14 points. However, polling now shows Democrats narrowly leading in all four states, and they need to hang on to two of those leads in order to win the majority.
Now, there are other close Senate races. However, when it comes to purple or lean blue states like Georgia, Maine, Michigan or New Hampshire, the truth is that if Democrats can't win those states in a strong pro-Democratic year like this than we simply are not going to take back the Senate in 2026.
Also, there are other, perhaps even longer-shot races worth watching, such as Florida, Kansas, Montana or Nebraska. However, if Democrats or Democratic-aligned Independents win those races, then honestly 2026 will be such a big wave year for Democrats that we will easily take control of the U.S. Senate.
Looking at the four pivotal races–of which Democrats only need to win two–by far the least expensive states to run campaigns are Iowa and Alaska. Both have much smaller populations than Ohio or Texas, and it is also a lot less expensive to buy advertisements in Iowa and Alaska media markets than in Ohio or Texas.
Finally, both Mary Peltola and Josh Turek are strong, highly overperforming candidates. Peltola performed about 10 points better than the national Democratic ticket in both 2022 and 2024, while Turek represents the reddest state House district held by any Democrat in Iowa. Your donation will go to effective campaigners who know how to win in red areas.
So please, if you are looking for a way to make your donation budget make the biggest possible impact on 2026, split a donation between Mary Peltola for U.S. Senate in Alaska, Josh Turek for U.S. Senate in Iowa, and Bowers Kerbel Media. This should honestly maximize your impact on which party controls the U.S. Senate like no other donation out there.
Note: The amounts you give to each entity can be adjusted. Bowers Kerbel Media is the two-person, reader-supported, pro-democracy and pro-Democratic organization that runs both the Bowers News Media news and activism email list and the Wolves and Sheep informed political analysis and practical life advice Substack. We aim to help you make a difference without driving you crazy.