Giddy Senate Democrats are already plotting a second round of red-state takedowns in 2028.

🌊 Why it matters: Democrats think 2028 has the same ingredients that helped them flip so many seats last week, including an unpopular president and another promising red-state map.

• "Waves last two cycles," Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand (D-N.Y.), who is seeking to remain chair of the Democratic campaign arm for another cycle, told us about repeating the 2026 playbook.
• She pointed to 2006 and 2008, when Democrats gained and then grew their majorities in both chambers.

🩴 Zoom in: Republican senators in Florida, North Carolina, Iowa and Kansas are up for reelection next cycle, all states Democrats flipped or almost flipped last week (see item No. 2).

• Sen. Ron Johnson's (R) seat in Wisconsin is her No. 1 target.
• Gillibrand is starting to keep an eye out for promising candidates — even as she waits to be reelected as DSCC chair.

🗨️ What she's saying: "Sometimes you need the strong candidate standing there to take advantage of whatever happens," Gillibrand said, pointing to Sens.-elect Annie Andrews (D-S.C.), Adam Hamilton (D-Kan.) and Scott Colom, who is leading in Mississippi.

• She boasted that she saw promise in those candidates long before their races became competitive — even holding a fundraiser for the Mississippi race in March.

💰 Zoom out: Gillibrand emphasized the need for Democrats to take real action to lower costs if they want to ensure their chance at a two-cycle wave.

The priorities: End the Iran war and/or end the tariffs.

• She suggested Democrats should refuse to pass spending bills that fund the war in Iran, though she acknowledged President Trump is good at finding ways to move money around.
• Gillibrand also sees expanding health care access as an imperative.
• "Some kind of Medicare for All is going to be very appealing," Gillibrand said. "If you can't get the full Medicare for All, then get the buy-in. Get the 55 to 65. Just expand Medicare."

⚠️ Between the lines: The political landscape can change fast. Republicans entered the 2026 cycle confident they could expand their Senate majority. Instead, they got crushed.

🔮 The intrigue: Gillibrand thinks Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer will win the majority leader job, despite speculation about a potential challenge from Sen. Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.).

• Gillibrand had breakfast with Sen.-elect Abdul El-Sayed (D-Mich.) this morning. She said the leadership election did not come up. El Sayed has expressed support for Van Hollen.

💸 What's next: Democrats will have their first opportunity to show force over government spending even before they take power — with a government shutdown deadline of Dec. 11.

• Gillibrand expects Democrats to use their hard-earned leverage from the election.
• "I think we're going to fight hard on issues that we know the American people are with us on: Ending the war in Iran, ending the tariffs, focusing on health care, focusing on costs," Gillibrand said of the debate expected over the next couple of weeks.

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— Stef Kight

Current and former House Democrats, flush with victory after the landslide midterm wins, are already looking at potential opportunities to run for Senate in 2028, we have learned.

In Kansas, a source close to Rep. Sharice Davids (D-Kan.) — who was reelected by 21 percentage points in a district former Vice President Harris carried by four points in 2024 — did not rule out her running against Sen. Jerry Moran (R-Kan.).

• "All options are on the table," the source said, adding that Davids' "focus right now is on delivering actual results and overcoming the chaos from these extreme policies we're seeing."

In North Carolina, Rep. Don Davis is "taking a look at" a run against Republican Sen. Ted Budd, a source familiar with his thinking told us.

• Davis won a third term last week after defeating his GOP opponent in a district Trump carried by 12 points in 2024.
• Former Rep. Wiley Nickel, who was elected Wake County district attorney on Tuesday, would consider a Senate run if state Attorney General Jeff Jackson doesn't go for it, a source close to him told us.

In Pennsylvania, a huge field of Democrats is gearing up to potentially run for the seat held by Democratic Sen. John Fetterman.

• Fetterman has angered much of the party by siding with Republicans on key votes.
• Rep. Chris Deluzio told us in a statement: "I am thinking hard about my next steps and will be having that conversation with my family and supporters."
• Said former Rep. Susan Wild: "I am not ruling anything out at this time. ... I think PA is long overdue for a woman senator, and that will factor into my eventual decision."

In Florida, state Rep. Angie Nixon is hinting at a 2028 run against Republican Sen. Ashley Moody after losing to her by three percentage points last week.

• Rep. Jared Moskowitz, who won reelection in a district Trump carried by nine points in 2024 and is often mentioned as a potential candidate for statewide office, is in the mix, sources said.
• Sources also pointed to Rep. Kathy Castor, who won in a district that went for Trump by 11 points. A Castor spokesperson did not respond to a request for comment.

— Andrew Solender