None of the Dem Senators Who Caved to End Government Shutdown Are up for Re-election in 2026

Eight Democratic senators broke with their party to push through a bill ending the longest government shutdown in U.S. history. The move drew sharp criticism from progressives and rank-and-file Democrats, but the lawmakers defended their votes, arguing that Americans could no longer wait.

“What happened tonight is not the closing of a chapter. It’s the opening of an opportunity. What the chapter does close is the damaging shutdown that is only getting worse, that is only going to impact more and more people,” said Angus King, the Independent from Maine who caucuses with Democrats.

Maggie Hassan, the Democratic senator from New Hampshire who participated in the bipartisan negotiations, acknowledged that the revised bill leaves out Obamacare subsidies that Democrats had pushed hard to protect.

“Congress has one month to engage in serious, bipartisan negotiations to extend the Affordable Care Act’s expiring tax cuts for health insurance,” Hassan said in a statement. “My Democratic colleagues and I have been ready to work on this for months. With the government reopening shortly, Senate Republicans must finally come to the table – or, make no mistake, Americans will remember who stood in the way.”

Pennsylvania senator John Fetterman, part of the small faction of Democrats who voted for the original House-passed funding bill multiple times, expressed frustration at the drawn-out shutdown.

“It should’ve never come to this,” Fetterman said. “I’m sorry to our military, SNAP recipients, gov workers, and Capitol Police who haven’t been paid in weeks.”

But here’s the political twist: none of the Democratic senators who voted yes on Sunday’s procedural motion face re-election in 2026. Two — Dick Durbin of Illinois and Jeanne Shaheen of New Hampshire — are retiring next year, while the others won’t face voters until at least 2028.

The timing leaves these senators insulated from immediate political consequences, allowing them to take heat from the party base without fear of a near-term electoral backlash. For now, the government reopens, but the debate over compromise versus principle is far from over.