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Recent statements from political strategists and Democratic Party insiders seem to suggest that the party’s strategy for the 2026 midterm races — particularly in hotly contested swing districts — will be to focus on economic concerns rather than on holding President Donald Trump accountable.
The statements from these strategists, highlighted in a report from The Hill this week, seem to imply that candidates will also avoid candidly discussing the idea of impeaching Trump — a move that has the potential to hurt their chances more than help them, polling data suggests.
“You can’t ignore Trump because it’s his economy,” one strategist from the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee (DCCC) said. “But the top message is the economy and affordability.”
Thirty-nine seats are viewed as competitive by Democrats this year, 28 of which are in districts Trump won by at least 5 points. GOP strategist and never-Trumper Kevin Madden told The Hill he viewed those districts as competitive because the economy resonates with voters in those areas — and implied that voters would dismiss messaging that focuses on holding Trump accountable for his abuses of power as president.
“The core focus of any candidate running in 2026 has to be focused on the reality that these affordability concerns, even one year later, still exist,” Madden said.
Democratic strategist Jamal Simmons seemed to agree. Although he called Trump “an easy foil,” he also said swing district candidates should avoid putting too much focus on him.
“We still have to appeal to the anxiety and aspiration that made people support him because what happens in the course of a year if Trump finds his footing with the American people again?” Simmons said.
The strategy is already being implemented, in a way, by Democrats currently in Congress. In December, around two dozen Democratic members of Congress joined Republicans and voted against advancing a Trump impeachment measure, brought forward by Rep. Al Green (D-Texas), who had included in his articles of impeachment the fact that Trump had threatened lawmakers with charges of sedition and the death penalty after they correctly pointed out that military servicemembers can disobey illegal orders from their higher ups or the president.
But avoiding Trump may be impossible, especially since Trump himself is making impeachment an issue for voters.
Speaking to Republicans at a GOP retreat held at the Kennedy Center on Wednesday, Trump told lawmakers up for reelection in November that they had to win to prevent the possibility of a future impeachment vote.
“You’ve got to win the midterms because, if we don’t win the midterms, it’s just going to be — I mean, they’ll find a reason to impeach me,” he said.
It is possible, of course, for Democrats in these districts to take a two-pronged approach — centering the economy while still campaigning on holding Trump accountable when he disrespects the separation of powers, infringes on people’s constitutional rights, or otherwise uses his office to engage in abuses of power.
Polling indicates that voters (both in general and in swing states) are mostly split when it comes to whether or not they want Trump impeached. But the numbers suggest that Democrats shouldn’t avoid the issue entirely.
A Data for Progress poll in April, for example, found that a majority of respondents, 52 percent, supported impeaching Trump. (Notably, the poll was conducted just three months into his second term.) Forty-eight percent said they opposed the idea.
Among independent voters, whom Democrats are worried about offending, the split was wider, with 55 percent saying they backed the idea of impeachment and only 44 percent saying they opposed it.
More recently, a Free Speech for People survey in September, which focused on likely voters in 17 swing districts across the U.S., found plurality support for impeaching Trump, with 49 percent saying they backed the move and 44 percent saying they were opposed. Six percent expressed no opinion.
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