By Kevin Harris and Richard McDaniel
Democrats ended 2025 with important victories that steadied a rattled party still reeling from Donald Trump’s return to power. Yet even after those wins, Democratic approval ratings remain stubbornly low. A recent Quinnipiac University poll found only 18 percent of voters approve of the way congressional Democrats are handling their jobs. A record low of 73 percent disapprove. In stark contrast, congressional Republicans have a 35 percent approval rating while 58 percent disapprove.
Democrats are even under water within our own party. The same poll found only 42 percent of Democrats approve of congressional Democrats with 48 percent disapproving. Among Republicans, 77 percent approve of their own party in Congress.
This data indicates Democrats will need to do more than run against Trump if we want to win in 2026. To keep the momentum going, Democrats will have to show working class voters we also know how to govern in the places where we currently hold power.
That starts with recognizing a hard truth: being anti-Trump is not a governing agenda. It can mobilize a base, raise money, and win a news cycle. It cannot, by itself, lower grocery bills, stabilize rents, or make healthcare more affordable.
Democrats must understand that while many working class voters are exhausted by Trump, they are equally frustrated with a political system that seems incapable of improving daily life. The working class wants to see relief they can feel as sharply as the rising costs that are hitting their pockets each week. Our opportunity to win these voters back and improve our own favorability lies in policies that bring down costs, enforce competition, expand supply, and protect consumers—paired with relentless communication about what’s being done and why it matters.
The working class needs to see a coordinated effort with congressional Democrats taking the lead in holding Republicans accountable for rising costs while state Democrats follow through on the promises we made to prioritize affordability. Coordination is key because it demonstrates to working class voters that Democrats can offer more than rhetoric and are prepared to wield power to bring down costs.
And here again the South can demonstrate the leadership that’s desperately missing. Virginia Governor-elect Abigail Spanberger will prioritize affordability in her first legislative session. Her plans include working with the state legislature’s expanded Democratic majority to pass a multifaceted health care package designed to tackle out-of-pocket costs. Another proposal seeks to support Virginians most likely to lose access to health care due to Republicans refusal to extend Obamacare subsidies. Spanberger is also proposing additional policies that will reduce utility bills and expand the availability of affordable housing.
North Carolina Governor Josh Stein has put forth a budget that would raise public education spending, including a 10 percent increase in average teacher pay. Stein also wants to invest millions more in health care. Maryland Governor Wes Moore signed an executive order last month aimed at reducing energy costs. Miami Florida’s first female and Democratic mayor in 30 years has outlined plans to create more affordable housing through permitting reform, a city housing trust fund and using city-owned land for affordable projects.
And Kentucky Governor and Democratic Governors Association Chair Andy Beshear has been a leading voice highlighting the impacts of the Republican affordability crisis on rural America. Beshear has noted the rural health care centers that have already shuttered due to Medicaid cuts and how reductions in federal food aid will hit poor and rural Americans while the wealthiest benefit from Trump tax cuts. National Democrats are echoing Beshear with the launch of their first ever rural outreach program that will fund engagement and messaging efforts focused on rising costs and the chaos caused by Trump’s tariffs.
And Georgia Democrats are planning a legislative agenda focused on affordability when the legislature returns; hoping to build off of momentum from last year’s elections where the party flipped two Public Service Commission seats with a targeted message on relief from high utility bills.
What these leaders share is a refusal to reduce their politics to opposition alone. They talk about jobs, schools, roads, hospitals, and costs. They meet voters where they are and they understand that governing well is the strongest rebuke to Trumpism.
The midterms will not be a referendum on Trump alone. They will be a judgment on whether Democrats used their moments of power to make life more affordable and healthcare more secure. If the party leans solely on fear of the alternative, it risks confirming working class voters’ cynicism. If it leans into governing—clearly, confidently, and relentlessly—it has a chance to rebuild trust with working class voters.
Democrats don’t need to abandon their values to win. They need to prove those values can produce results. In 2026, Trump resistance won’t be enough. Democrats will have to show some receipts.
Kevin Harris and Richard McDaniel are veteran Democratic strategists with over 100 political campaigns between them, including the past five presidential elections and several congressional races. They co-host “Maroon Bison Presents: The Southern Comfort Podcast.”
