Democrats remember the punch in the gut that was 2004. We lost the White House, we bled House seats, and we watched a string of Senate races slip away, especially across the South. The mood in the party felt heavy. People wondered whether the map had moved for good.
Then came something that always changes politics. Overreach.
With George W. Bush in the White House and a unified Republican Congress, the governing party pushed hard on two fronts that shaped daily life and national identity. The Iraq War went from confident promises to a grinding reality with a growing human and moral cost. Then came the attempt to privatize Social Security, a bedrock promise for seniors. Voters may disagree on many things, but they know when leaders go too far, too fast, with too little honesty about the consequences.
There was another force in play: corruption. In 2006, Democrats ran hard on a message of “draining the swamp” and ending the Republican culture of corruption. It was not an empty slogan. Scandals involving lobbyists, influence peddling, and high-profile Republican members of Congress dominated headlines. The American people saw a party in power that had lost its moral compass.
I was the Executive Director of the House Democratic Caucus in 2006, and I saw this shift happen up close. We did not just sit back and wait for the wave. We built it.
In 2006, four forces worked together.
First, Republican overreach created real fatigue. People were tired of ideology-first governance and the constant sense that those in power were playing games with their future.
Second, corruption cuts through partisanship. The idea that elected officials were serving themselves, their donors, and well-connected lobbyists instead of their constituents struck a nerve.
Third, Democrats invested everywhere. Under Howard Dean, the DNC backed a true 50 state strategy. That mattered because it rebuilt local muscle that had atrophied. County chairs felt seen. Volunteers had training, tools, and a plan. State parties finally had oxygen to grow.
Fourth, we recruited candidates in every district. Voters saw neighbors step up—veterans, teachers, mayors, community leaders. That changed the conversation on the ground. It turned a national mood into local momentum. One of those recruits was a former teacher and high school football coach from Minnesota named Tim Walz. In 2006, he was running for Congress for the first time. Today, he is the Governor of Minnesota and one of the most effective Democratic voices in the country—a living reminder that when we run everywhere, we not only win seats, we build future leaders.
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Fast forward to today. We are still feeling the sting of the 2024 presidential race. We did not win the White House, and we fell short in Nevada, Arizona, Wisconsin, Michigan, and North Carolina at the top of the ticket. But there were silver linings that matter for 2026. In those same states, Democrats won important U.S. Senate and gubernatorial races. In Pennsylvania, we kept our legislative majority. That tells us something powerful: the infrastructure we have been building over the last several years—the field teams, voter protection operations, organizing hubs, and candidate pipelines—is strong enough to win down the ticket even when we lose the presidential race. That is no small thing.
Republicans passed the Big Beautiful Bill and then told the country to trust them. The bill’s impact will not be theoretical. It will be felt in rural hospitals and community clinics. In families that rely on Medicaid to keep their kids healthy. In seniors who count on Medicare to cover doctors, medicine, vision, and hearing. In small towns that need federal partnerships for roads, broadband, and clean water.
And it is not only health care. There is a pattern. Aggressive moves to politicize the justice system. Attacks on universities and research. Purges of diversity and inclusion programs that help real students and workers. Cuts to public media that communities trust. Power plays in the District of Columbia that ignore self government. Redistricting games in red states that lock voters out before the campaign even begins.
Then there is corruption… again. From the growing outrage over Epstein-related revelations to fresh allegations of influence peddling by powerful Republicans, the image of a party looking out for the few while exploiting the many is once again breaking through.
Foreign policy, too, is part of the story. In 2006, the Iraq War’s unending cost and human toll drove home the sense of a government out of touch with the public’s sense of morality and national interest. In 2026, the ongoing tragedy in Gaza is shaping similar disillusionment. Prime Minister Netanyahu is increasingly seen by the American public as a bad-faith actor, and images of starving children and civilian suffering are pushing voters to question U.S. leadership’s judgment and the Republican Party’s alignment with him.
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The DNC has already announced an unprecedented investment in state parties, with Chair Ken Martin committed to building on the strategy I pursued during my time as Chair and taking party investments to historic levels for all state parties.
Recruitment must match that investment, and we must be bold. In 2026, we should have a Democrat running in every single House district. All 435 seats should have a Democratic candidate on the general ballot. We will not win every seat, but voters deserve a choice everywhere. And every candidate, even those in the toughest districts, will gain
valuable experience and help build the bench for the future. This is also a perfect moment to tap into the energy of young voters. Let’s train and recruit them to run for state house and congressional races across the country.
The best recruitment class we have seen is already taking shape. Stars like Aaron Ford and Garlin Gilchrist are running for Governor in Nevada and Michigan. Roy Cooper, Sherrod Brown, and Annie Andrews are running for U.S. Senate. And dynamic leaders like Dr. Chris Jones are running for the U.S. House in red states like Arkansas.
We also need a massive voter registration effort in every state. Every rally, every speech, every town hall should have volunteers registering new voters. Take the passion and turn it into votes.
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First, organize early, then organize again. Fund state parties on a predictable schedule. Lock in field staff, training calendars, and data support now so organizers are not scrambling in the fall.
Second, recruit everywhere. All 435 House races. Every Senate race. Every governor’s race. Every state legislative race we can.
Third, register voters relentlessly. Set a public goal. Build the volunteer army. Make registration part of the culture of every event.
Fourth, draw a sharp choice. The Big Beautiful Bill and the larger agenda around it will cut care, gut local institutions, and hand more power to the already powerful. Our agenda protects care, strengthens local institutions, and builds opportunity from the bottom up and the middle out.
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I have seen this party take a bleak set of odds and turn it into a mandate. I watched it happen in 2006 when exhaustion with overreach, disgust with corruption, and a grinding war met a disciplined plan to compete everywhere. The same energy exists right now. People feel the overreach. They see the corruption. They want a check on it. They want a government that respects their work and protects their future.
If we invest, recruit, register, and speak to what families feel, 2026 can be the year voters do what they always do when power forgets who it serves. They send a message. Then they send some folks home.
Let’s get to work.
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