Democrats

Voters Back Democrats But Still Don’t Trust Them

September 28, 2026 at 6:55 am ET By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

Playbook: “A new polling memo from Navigator Research being circulated to senior Hill leadership offices this morning is arguing Democrats’ affordability agenda is popular with over 70% of voters they polled, including 55% of MAGA Republicans. And the memo lays out one of Dems’ biggest hurdles: themselves.”

From the memo: “Of those who oppose this agenda, skepticism stems from distrust over whether the agenda can become reality – a quarter (25%) say they do not trust Democrats to deliver and a fifth (20%) say they don’t have enough information.”

The Guardian: What Democrats are getting right – and wrong – in run-up to midterms.

The Progressive Conservatives Can’t Stop Talking About

September 26, 2026 at 1:42 pm ET By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

“If she suspected someone was going to start a fight with her as a child, Democratic Rep. Ilhan Omar of Minnesota sometimes struck first. As a tiny girl, she figured the element of surprise was an advantage,” the Wall Street Journal reports.

“That willingness to go on the offensive has been a hallmark of her political career. When a man sprayed Omar with apple-cider vinegar from a syringe at a town-hall meeting here earlier this year, her first instinct wasn’t to cower, but to chase him with raised fists. In an interview, Omar said it isn’t in her nature to back down.”

“The lawmaker has been a forerunner for a faction of Democrats pulling the party leftward. That, along with her combativeness, has helped make her a top target for attacks from President Trump and conservatives, as well as GOP investigations. A massive welfare-fraud scandal in Minnesota—heavily tied to her fellow Somali immigrants—has only added fuel to the fire.”

Democrats Turn Sharply Against Their Own Party

September 26, 2026 at 6:59 am ET By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

“Democrats are adopting a drastically more negative tone toward their own party in the 2026 midterm elections, swapping promises of bipartisan collaboration with vows to ‘take on corruption in both parties,'” Axios reports.

“This surge in political friendly fire reflects the extraordinary level of anger candidates are seeing from their voters toward the Democratic Party and the national political establishment.”

New Poll Shows Democrats in Key States Feel Unified

September 25, 2026 at 1:19 pm ET By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

“In the two battleground states with the most bitter and complicated Senate primaries, Maine and Michigan, Democrats emerged feeling stronger and more unified,” according to new polls from The New York Times and Siena University.

“More than 60 percent of Democrats or independents who said they lean toward the Democratic Party in each state said they thought the primary process strengthened the party through vigorous debate. Only about one-quarter said they thought the process exposed divisions and made Democrats weaker.”

“Beyond the primary battles, the polls hinted at signs of unity emerging around the party’s direction and ideology among Democratic voters nationally and in the battleground states.”

Democrats Prod Progressives to Spend for El-Sayed

September 22, 2026 at 8:24 pm ET By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

“D.C. Democrats are growing increasingly alarmed about the Republican spending advantage in the Michigan Senate race — and some are asking when progressive groups will start putting serious money behind Abdul El-Sayed,” Axios reports.

“The Democratic establishment’s main super PAC is pouring an additional $10 million into the race to back El-Sayed, even as the Democratic nominee has declined to say whether he would support Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) as leader next year.”

Another Bonus Quote of the Day

September 22, 2026 at 12:01 pm ET By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

“Pretty candidly, I think about my identity. I’m not naïve to the fact that we are living under a very regressive administration, and I happen to be a woman, and I, you know, happen to be Latina. And I think that there’s a lot of conversation about electability, and I don’t kind of shy away from those realities.”

— Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY), quoted by CNN, on running for president.

Democrats Try to Ride Data Center Backlash to Victory

September 19, 2026 at 12:51 pm ET By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

Reuters: “The groundswell building against data centers during election season has given Democratic candidates a new opening in the rural U.S. Midwest, where they have struggled to compete during Donald Trump’s presidency.”

Insurgent Democrats Push Term Limits for Leaders

September 18, 2026 at 5:05 am ET By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

“Insurgent House Democrats are opening a new front in the generational war roiling the party, pushing to put term limits on committee leadership roles,” the Washington Sun reports.

“When the lawmakers return to Washington after the midterms, some Democrats plan to bring up a proposal in their caucus organizational meetings that would limit how many years leaders remain in top committee stops, according to multiple House Democrats familiar with the plans.”

Democrats Hope Voting Rights Will Drive Black Turnout

September 17, 2026 at 5:33 am ET By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

“Across the South, from the Mississippi Delta to Georgia’s suburbs, Black Democratic candidates are imploring Black voters to rise up and secure the representation this November that they were expected to be denied with the gutting of the Voting Rights Act,” the New York Times reports.

“The hill is high, and Republicans remain supremely confident, but Democrats are trying to contest races typically seen as too far out of reach.”

Democratic Fundraising Machine Is Fighting Back

September 16, 2026 at 10:04 am ET By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

“ActBlue, the top Democratic fundraising platform that has been embroiled in years of GOP investigations over whether it improperly vetted foreign donations, is escalating efforts to clear its name,” the Washington Post reports.

“A law firm representing the group to review its donation history met congressional investigators Friday to present its evidence that ActBlue properly verified the source of contributions and did not mislead lawmakers about that process. But the new report is unlikely to end the problems for the group that Democrats have relied upon to process billions of dollars in campaign donations.”

Bannon and Sanders Demand Tighter Controls On AI

September 15, 2026 at 4:34 pm ET By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

“In thundering, back-to-back speeches, Senator Bernie Sanders and Stephen K. Bannon on Tuesday denounced the billionaires who run the country’s largest tech companies and urged Americans to demand tighter restrictions on artificial intelligence before its capabilities exceed human control,” the New York Times reports.

“The unusual public appearances by the country’s elder democratic socialist and a leading architect of the MAGA movement, at a conference in Washington, underscored the deep and rising anxiety over the potential destructive power of artificial intelligence.”

Bloomberg: AI fears give Bernie Sanders a rare moment of unity with Bannon.

John Fetterman Promises, Again, Not to Defect

September 15, 2026 at 3:16 pm ET By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

“Sen. John Fetterman (D-PA) insisted Tuesday he won’t become a Republican, showing frustration with the ongoing questions about his intentions,” NBC News reports.

Said Fetterman: “I’m not going to be a Republican! If I turn a Republican, then I’ll be a liar.”

He added: “My name is not on the ballot. Like, chill and wait for the midterm here. I’ve always been a Democrat. It’s like, no matter how many times I say that, I’m still getting asked just getting into the elevator.”

Bonus Quote of the Day

September 14, 2026 at 8:36 am ET By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

“We’re not going to let a billionaire class tell us what’s inevitable and fuck over the American people again.”

— Democratic strategist Morris Katz, quoted by Politico, on the need for Democrats to take the lead on AI regulation.

Democrats Give Native Americans More Power In Primaries

September 13, 2026 at 11:02 pm ET By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

“The 2028 race for the White House will give new political clout to a long-overlooked constituency: Native American voters,” Axios reports.

“Driving the news: New Mexico now holds an influential early spot as one of the first states to vote in the Democratic primary — on Feb. 15, 2028. That’s put Native Americans, who make up about 12% of the state, in position to wield more influence in the presidential race than ever before.”

Democrats Gain Ground but Face Financial Gap

September 13, 2026 at 9:35 pm ET By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

“Democrats are grappling with several liabilities that risk impeding the momentum they have gained to retake control of Congress,” the Wall Street Journal reports.

“New opportunities have come on the map for Democrats as President Trump has become increasingly unpopular because of the war with Iran, tariffs and the high cost of living. Nonpartisan analysts say the party is favored to win the U.S. House and has a shot at a narrow majority in the Senate. Yet Republicans still have a significant financial edge, and Democrats have work to do to persuade voters to support them in states they need to win.”

Young Voters Drive Democratic Populist Surge

September 13, 2026 at 8:28 am ET By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

New York Times: “The mainstreaming of anger on the left at systemic economic and political conditions has in some ways been a slow train coming, although not apparently one with the kind of force that destroyed the old Republican Party. While Senator Bernie Sanders, the nation’s most famous democratic socialist, made a strong showing during his run for the presidency in 2020, many of the party’s voters considered him too big a risk.”

“Today’s populists have burst onto the electoral scene seemingly overnight in large part because of the voting power of Gen Z, the generation born between roughly 1996 and 2012, who are entering adulthood in a difficult new world.”

Obama Pushes Democrats to Focus On AI

September 13, 2026 at 12:45 am ET By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

“Former President Barack Obama warned during a recent private fund-raising event that artificial intelligence technology could be ‘dangerous’ if not properly managed, as he implored Democrats to aggressively develop political and governing agendas to prioritize the issue in the coming years,” the New York Times reports.

In Praise of the Democrats’ Disarray

September 12, 2026 at 10:53 am ET By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

The Economist: “As the midterms approach, America’s two main parties are conducting opposite experiments. Republicans march in lockstep behind Donald Trump, who summoned his troops to Dallas this week to celebrate his awesomeness…”

“Democrats, by contrast, are bickering over their leaders, strategy and ideology. The party has no standard-bearer, while socialists who once flitted around its edge are trying to become its heart. On the campaign trail, Republican discipline will beat Democratic chaos. Or so Republicans hope.”

“But political parties are not armies; their members’ duty is not merely to obey. They should debate, adapt and attract talent. They should be open to new leaders and new ideas. That is especially true after the political transformation wrought by Mr Trump. By those measures the unified Republican Party looks increasingly unhealthy, whereas the disunited Democrats may be engaged in the messy work of renewal.”