A person walks past a voting sign at the East Point Library in Atlanta on the first day of early voting on Oct. 13. Megan Varner/Getty Images hide caption

Megan Varner/Getty Images

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When this election cycle began, Democrats were seen as a longshot to pick up the Senate.

That's because so many seats that are up for election are in red states. But as the year has gone on and the war in Iran has continued, the field has widened considerably.

Polling, ad money and candidate and surrogate travel have all indicated competitive races in places President Trump won by double digits in 2024. Alaska, Iowa, Kansas, Ohio and Texas are all considered Toss Ups, according to the Cook Political Report .

"I'm very energized," said Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand, D-N.Y., chairwoman of the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee, which is charged with trying to elect Democrats to the Senate.…