Democratic Strategy: Midterm Candidates Split on Israel, Borders, and Health

Democratic candidates running for Congress in 2026 are moving away from unified party positions on Israel, immigration, and health care. Some are pushing for sharper progressive platforms, while others are adopting centrist or conservative stances to appeal to swing voters. This fragmentation reflects a party that lost the White House in 2024 and is now struggling to reclaim control of both chambers of Congress.

The realignment began after Donald Trump defeated Kamala Harris for the presidency. Since that election, internal divisions between establishment moderates and progressive populists have widened. Policy positions now vary significantly by district and state, with candidates tailoring their messages to local constituencies rather than adhering to a single national line.

The most visible shift concerns the United States' relationship with Israel. More than 74,000 Palestinians have been killed in the war in Gaza, which began following the Hamas attacks of October 7, 2023. A Pew Research Center survey from earlier this year found that 60 percent of US adults hold an unfavorable view of Israel. Among Democrats, that figure rises to 80 percent.

Senator Chris Coons of Delaware has called for a thorough reexamination of the US-Israeli relationship. He stated he would consider sanctions on Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. This stands in contrast to the 2024 Democratic National Convention, where the Harris campaign declined to feature a Palestinian American speaker. In the current Senate, 40 Democrats backed a motion to disapprove proposed military sales to Israel. Only seven sided with Republicans to block the measure. Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, who is expected to become majority leader, maintains that the US commitment to Israel's security must be ironclad.

On transgender rights, candidates in tight races have softened their support, particularly regarding student sports. Representative Marcy Kaptur of Ohio ran an ad stating that boys should not play in girls' sports. Representative Don Davis of North Carolina called for a safe and fair space for women and girls in sports. Senate candidate Annie Andrews of South Carolina said she opposes biological men playing in women's sports. These stances follow a 2024 Trump campaign ad that emphasized Harris's support for transgender Americans.

Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez of New York pushed back against these shifts. At a town hall in Portland, Maine, on Thursday, she told a transgender student who felt abandoned that some in her party were wrong. She expressed shame that people scare so easily after an election and argued that compromising a trans person's rights compromises the rights of every citizen.

Immigration policy has also driven a split. Customs and Border Protection recorded more than 8 million border encounters between 2021 and 2025. James Talarico, a Senate candidate in Texas, describes himself as a border security Democrat. He backs stronger enforcement alongside comprehensive reform. Lucas Holtz of Third Way noted that such proactive stances work because they address voter concerns about order. On the left, the fatal shootings of US citizens Renee Good and Alex Pretti by federal immigration agents in Minneapolis earlier this year have intensified calls to abolish or overhaul ICE.

Health care remains an area of broad agreement on government involvement, but not on the mechanism. Michigan Senate candidate Abdul El-Sayed supports Medicare for All. Andrews, running in a more conservative state, wants lapsed Affordable Care Act subsidies restored and limits on insurer profits. KFF polling shows that 66 percent of US adults now back Medicare for All, a 13-point increase from October 2020. Holtz said all Democrats want to move toward universal coverage in the best way possible.