Going Deeper: The 2026 Midterms Are “Momentum vs Money”

The GOP has the Money. The Dems Need A Vision.

I can read the polls. The latest from YouGov found that if the midterms were held today, voters would favor Democrats over Republicans, 47 percent to 40. In the same poll, 43 percent said they expect the Democrats to win the House. Simply put, Democrats have the momentum going into the midterms. This is good news for the country, but the election is eight months away, and there’s one giant obstacle standing in the way of Democratic House majority.

According to Federal Election Commission reports, aggregated by The New York Times, National Republican campaign committees are sitting on more than twice as much cash as their Democratic counterparts. And this doesn’t take into account the $300 million held by Donald Trump’s super PAC. Add a few other prominent PACs and Elon Musk, and the GOP total could reach $1 billion by Election Day. Democrats are not likely to raise half as much.

Yes, I know, money isn’t everything. Analysts can always point to candidates who won despite being outspent. But these are the exceptions that prove the rule. In general, especially in toss-up Congressional districts, money matters as it can be used to swamp lesser funded candidates and get people to the polls.

Democrats know they are getting clobbered in the race for cash. But they say that Trump is so unpopular that a “Blue Wave” is inevitable. But don’t confuse the recent poll numbers for true support of the Democratic Party or its agenda. Voters are rejecting Trump and the feckless GOP majorities on the Hill. Not suddenly embracing the Democratic Party.

According to Gallup, only 27 percent of voters identify as Democrats. This is a record low. And among those who still identify as party members, there’s real dissatisfaction with current leadership and their lack of direction. It’s past time for the party to offer a vision that tells us what they intend to do.

Being anti-Trump is Only a Start

The President’s approval rating is roughly 40 percent. Yes, with the attack on Iran he’s a war President, and that could mean a slight bump up in his popularity. However, one poll done on this subject found that only 27 percent support the massive attack. The message? The public, including lots of people in his Make America Great Again base are wary of war and Trump has failed to present a clear rationale for this one. Questions abound. Is there a strategy? How do you define victory? How will we respond if Iran is wracked by a civil war? Democrats should demand answers.

On the domestic front, Trump has revealed himself to be a fascist who manipulates his cultlike followers with lies and hate directed at minorities. He routinely ignores court orders, abuses the media, exploits religion, and demonizes the opposition. He stands against our Constitution, has ruined our reputation abroad, and lies at every turn. Most recently, he’s threatening to illegally disrupt the state-run elections

Meanwhile, under his command, the masked and militarized Immigration and Customs Enforcement agency (ICE) has swept through cities, small towns, and farm country, scooping up tens of thousands of undocumented but law-abiding immigrants with shocking levels of force. The worst of it has happened in Minneapolis, where bystander video recordings of agents killing protesters have shocked the nation. Here, one poll after another has found that a significant majority -- up to 65 percent in the Marist poll -- oppose the anti-immigrant campaign.

Finally, there’s the Jeffrey Epstein scandal. The Justice Department has failed to comply with Congress’s demand for documents related to the investigation of the dead financier’s sexual abuse of more than 1,000 women. Revelations thus far have destroyed the reputations of many prominent men, including Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick. There’s no denying that Trump was Epstein’s buddy for ten years. Evidence of his gleeful response to Epstein’s lifestyle has already been revealed, but credible reports suggest there’s more to come.

Democrats should not shy away from clearly describing the threat Trump poses to the nation, and promise that, given a House majority, they will use their subpoena power to investigate ICE and the Epstein scandal. But these promises and attacks on Trump aren’t enough. The Dems also owe it to voters to present an agenda for the country, especially on the domestic front. Things are a mess, and voters, especially those in swing districts, want to know what Democrats are going to do about it. There’s a host of issues to choose from. But first you need to find your voice.

Leadership

For 17 years, the Democrats in Congress were led by Nancy Pelosi, who, whether you liked her or not was a magnetic and effective leader. She delivered the votes that powered the major policies of both Barack Obama and Joe Biden. She was a tireless advocate with flair for the dramatic. Remember when she ripped up her copy of Trump’s 2020 State of the Union speech as he was delivering it?

When she stepped down, Pelosi was replaced by Hakeem Jeffries of New York, who is so soft-spoken and laid back that a vast number of voters would say they never heard of him. What does Jeffries stand for? I certainly can’t tell you. And on the other side of the Capitol, Minority Leader Senator Chuck Schumer often looks and sounds like he was just awakened from a nap.

Right now, the most dynamic and visible Democrat in Congress is probably Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, who draws big crowds wherever she goes. She has forcefully attacked Trump as “bizarre, erratic, and volatile” - and never misses an opportunity to slam his policies. But the problem with AOC is that she’s the standard-bearer for a fired-up progressive wing of the party that’s too small. She also turns off too many of the swing voters Dems will need to capture contested districts.

In the Senate, two popular Democrats, Mark Kelly of Arizona and Corey Booker of New Jersey, are standouts. A former astronaut and Navy pilot, Kelly is good on the stump and solid on the issues. If you want someone who will capture respect from the huge number of people in the political middle, you could do a lot worse. Booker stands a few steps to the left of Kelly but he’s one of the most inspiring speakers in politics

Beyond Kelly and Booker, the Democrats have a pretty deep bench of lawmakers who could make their case far better than Schumer and Jeffries. Hopefully, one of them will rise to the occasion. But in the meantime, the party needs to settle on what it stands for.

Affordability

For decades, voters have generally told pollsters that they believe Republicans, who are known as tax cutters, are better at managing the economy. Indeed, Trump was elected on the promise that he would bring prosperity for all.

Trump didn’t keep his promise, and people know it. In the most recent survey on this topic, the NPR/Marist poll found that 58 percent of all Americans, including Republicans, disapprove of the President’s handling of the economy. A whopping 70 percent say that the cost of living in their area is “unaffordable.”

The word “affordability” was used by Kamala Harris in 2024, but didn’t begin to gain real political traction until Trump took over. In the past, inflation and unemployment defined public sentiment on the economy. Now people are talking about whether they can afford a middle-class lifestyle. Trump apparently didn’t get the memo. For months, he resisted using the word, and when he did, he said the affordability crisis was a “hoax” promoted by Democrats.

As Trump continued to talk about low inflation, consumers watched prices jump for groceries and energy, which are not considered when the feds measure inflation. People are also feeling the pinch as they pay for housing, clothing, and transportation. (Unbelievably, the average new car now costs more than $50,000. In November, Democrats who leaned hard on the affordability issue swept major off-year elections.

Trump is still selling a delusion on the economy. In his recent State of the Union address, he said we’re in a “golden” age of a healthy stock market and plentiful jobs. The problem is that the markets mean next to nothing for most Americans, and too many of the jobs that are available don’t pay enough. With Trump in denial, and beef prices up 15 percent since last year, Democrats need to use the word “affordability” in every other sentence, but then they’ve got to say what they would do about it.

Consumer prices

The data is in. Trump’s tariffs, ultimately paid by us, have jacked-up prices for stuff we buy from our major trading partners, Canada, Mexico, and China. This means that everything from food to furniture and parts made for American-built cars cost more.

What can Democrats do if they win control of the House?

1. They can pass a tariffs “reparations” act that would require that the administration send the billions collected illegally back to businesses and consumers.

2. They can go after price-gougers by holding hearings. The mere spectacle of executives – think food producers and retailers – having to answer for exorbitant increases will put pressure on them to roll back some of their increases.

3. They can adopt changes in the tax code to benefit middle-class and working-class people. Under the Trump cuts, the people who need the money the least, the top 5 percent, got 45 percent of the money. Even a small adjustment, one that provides benefits for everyone else, would put billions of dollars into the hands of consumers.

Housing

To quote the activist Jimmy McMillan, “the rent is too damn high.” McMillan was right when he campaigned for governor of New York on this theme in 2010, and he’s doubly right today. The national median rent is about $1,500 (this includes rural areas and small towns). This is 50 percent more than it was five years ago. Home prices have followed a similar path, moving from less than $260,000 to $380,000 today. Do you think wages have kept up? Not a chance.

Most housing policy is set at the local level, but there are still things the federal government can do, starting with tax breaks for people who spend more than a certain amount -- say one-third of their income -- on rent. Similar credits could be offered to homeowners. First-time buyers could be helped with a program that provides modest grants to boost their downpayments.

On the supply side, Congress can beef up the Low Income Housing Tax Credit and give tax incentives to companies that convert empty buildings to housing. New regulations could slow Wall Street investors who are scooping up single-family homes and driving up prices. Congress could also add to the Federal Housing Trust fund, which pays states to build, rehab, and maintain housing for low-income households

The Democrats need to find a way to incentivize local communities to streamline zoning and let builders build. Right now, the process in most places takes years, and this crisis needs to be addressed now.

Finally, there’s the related problem of family income. Traditionally, Americans have been urged to spend no more than 30 percent of their income on housing. Today, the average has crept up to 34 percent. One way to address this is to raise the federal minimum wage, which has been stuck at $7.25 per hour since 2009. The old argument that higher wages kill jobs has been disproven in places where local laws have doubled the minimum. No matter where you stand on this aspect of the issue, I think you can agree that in 2026, $7.25 is too damn low.

Healthcare

On the national agenda since at least the 1960s, healthcare reform is a very tough issue. But this doesn’t mean Democrats can’t help. Three things come to mind.

1. Restore the subsidies paid to middle and lower-income participants in Obamacare. The GOP Congress promised to do this and hasn’t followed through. As a result, millions of people are paying shockingly high premiums or going without coverage. And they are hopping mad.

2. Authorize Medicare and Medicaid to negotiate drug prices. Pharmaceutical costs are breaking the bank. Billions of dollars would be saved if the government could bargain for better prices.

3. Make Medicare an option on the Obamacare marketplace. I’m not talking about Medicare for all, but Medicare for some who would pay for it with their premiums. Adding Medicare to the market would also pressure private insurers, who now charge exorbitantly for minimal coverage.

Foreign Policy

Trump’s press office has dubbed him the “President of Peace.” Today, he is the President of War who has authorized bombing in seven countries, including the current massive attack on Iran. There, he seems determined to topple the regime of religious extremists that has menaced Israel and the nations of the Gulf for decades.

Democrats can support the troops and get behind the regime change idea. But they can, and should, also demand that the Administration come up with a strategy that addresses what happens next. If Iran’s substantial pro-democracy movement rises, what are we going to do? Will we provide them with intelligence? Will we aid them militarily? Will we put boots on the ground? What happens if the regime maintains its grip on power and slaughters thousands of protesters, as it has done before? These are questions that must be answered.

It should be noted that, with the exception of Israel, America is acting without the support of the allies who have been there for us in other regional conflicts. In the past, these coalitions established that the West was united in purpose. That Trump would abandon this practice is not surprising, given the damage Trump has done to our alliances. With his threat to take over Greenland, a Danish territory, he broke with NATO and alienated all of Europe. At the same time, he has failed to broker a treaty that would end the war in Ukraine. Remember: He said he would do this on his first day in office.

While he was messing with our allies, Trump has antagonized the world with punishing tariffs that have driven rivals like China and India to form closer trade ties while they pass along the cost of tariff to U.S. consumers. The Supreme Court has ruled that these levies were illegal. He has responded by instating new ones under a different authority. Voters must be show how damaging Trump’s illegal behavior is..

In the End

I am not trying to set the Democrats’ agenda. What I have attempted to do is show that with a little thought and the right intention, they can give voters a vision for the future that they are desperately calling for. Kamala Harris lost the popular vote by more than 2 million and the Electoral College 312 to 226. I’m not expecting a similar result this fall. In fact, I expect they will overcome the GOP’s war chest advantage and capture the House.

But victory isn’t enough. As the campaign heats up, a new agenda must be set. They owe the country that much.