Democrats’ novel red-state strategy: From the Politics Desk

From the Politics DeskDemocrats’ novel red-state strategy: From the Politics DeskPlus, another shake-up in the Wisconsin governor’s race. Listen to this article with a free profile00:0000:00Former University of Montana President Seth Bodnar is running as an independent candidate for U.S. Senate.Michael Thomas Shroyer / Imagn Images via Reuters fileShareAdd NBC News to GoogleJuly 30, 2026, 5:51 PM EDTBy The Politics DeskWelcome to From the Politics Desk, a daily newsletter that brings you the NBC News Politics team’s latest reporting and analysis from the White House, Capitol Hill and the campaign trail.In today’s edition, Sahil Kapur explores how Democrats are trying to boost their odds of defeating Senate Republicans in deep-red states. Plus, Adam Edelman and Natasha Korecki report on the latest shake-up in the Democratic primary for Wisconsin governor.Sign up to receive this newsletter in your inbox every weekday here.— Adam WollnerDemocrats pursue a new Senate strategy in rural states: Dropping outBy Sahil KapurFacing slim prospects in rural red states, Democrats are embarking on a new tactic to expand the Senate map: encouraging doomed nominees to drop out of races to empower independent candidates to take on Republicans one-on-one.Nebraska: Independent candidate Dan Osborn’s campaign against GOP Sen. Pete Ricketts received a jolt this month when Democratic nominee Cindy Burbank dropped out and removed her name from the ballot. Two years ago, Osborn turned heads by coming within 7 points of defeating Republican Sen. Deb Fischer as Donald Trump carried the state by 21 points. Idaho: Democratic nominee David Roth dropped out Tuesday, giving independent Todd Achilles a one-on-one contest against Republican Sen. Jim Risch, who is running for a fourth term.Montana: Democrats are calling on Alani Bankhead to exit to clear the way for independent Seth Bodnar in the race against Republican nominee Kurt Alme. But Bankhead has resisted those calls, and even if she were to...