Battle for the Senate: 7 Toss-Up Races That Will Decide 2026 w/ Mike Hahn

🎙️ Political Trade Secrets: Battle for the Senate—7 Toss-Ups That Will Decide the 2026 Midterms

Which Senate races could determine control of Washington in 2026, and what is happening behind the scenes as campaigns compete for voters, donors, attention, and a technological edge?

Join host Dustin Olson and guest Mike Hahn, President of Digital at Frontline Strategies, as they break down the battle for the Senate and pull back the curtain on how digital campaigning, fundraising, and artificial intelligence are changing the mechanics of modern campaigns.

Mike brings experience from inside some of the biggest Republican political operations of the past decade. He previously served as Deputy Digital Director at the NRSC and worked on President Donald Trump’s 2016 and 2020 campaigns, including as Director of Social Media. He shares how digital evolved from one part of a campaign into infrastructure touching communications, fundraising, voter outreach, targeting, and more.

The episode explores:

• Seven Senate battlegrounds: Alaska, Iowa, Maine, Michigan, New Hampshire, Ohio, and Texas

• What public polling may be missing in some of the closest Senate contests

• Why candidate recruitment and candidate quality matter to the shape of the Senate battlefield

• How campaigns digitally target critical voter blocs through connected TV, social media, data, and tailored messaging

• WinRed vs. ActBlue: how fundraising platforms, donor data, and small-dollar money have changed the digital campaign ecosystem

• What national campaigns can teach smaller campaigns about digital fundraising, social media, and building a donor base

• What Trump’s social media approach can teach candidates about authenticity, direct communication, and being interesting