Robert F. Kennedy Jr., Tulsi Gabbard and Kash Patel testify before Senate committees on Capitol Hill Thursday as urgency builds to confirm President Donald Trump’s Cabinet nominations.

His unexpected retirement in the battleground states comes in an already difficult Senate cycle for Democrats.

Democrats Tuesday flipped seat in the Iowa Senate in a special election held to replace Republican Sen. Chris Cournoyer, who was named as Iowa's lieutenant governor, but Democrats still will be far outnumbered in the chamber.

Republicans still have large legislative majorities in Iowa, but a Democrat’s apparent win in a solidly conservative area buoyed that party at a moment of uncertainty.