Democrat strategists and lawmakers are concerned that their path to taking back the House in the 2026 midterms could be derailed by contentious primaries, Politico reported.
Many Democrats are urging campaign leaders to put their thumb on the scale to prevent messy primaries that could take away resources needed to win back control of the lower chamber.
House Majority PAC, a super PAC aligned with House Democrat leadership and the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee, said they will do whatever it takes to flip the House, including getting involved in primaries.
"There's going to be so many crowded primaries, so many people stepping up against [Donald] Trump, and then so many different players throwing around real money in these primaries," Ian Russell, a Democrat consultant who served as the DCCC political director in 2014 and 2016, told Politico. "But that creates some tension between all the energy coming out of these primaries and the party trying to shape desired matchups. It's going to be chaos."
David Hogg, vice chair of the Democratic National Committee, stirred up controversy when he launched Leaders We Deserve, a super PAC that vowed to spend $20 million on safe Democrat seats, targeting incumbents.
Democrats are hoping the party gets involved in primaries in California, particularly in the 22nd and 40th districts, where the state's jungle primary system means two Republicans could block out a Democrat candidate in a crowded race, Politico said. Both seats are currently held by Republicans who are considered vulnerable in 2026.
The party is also stepping in to make sure its best candidates are running, Politico said.
"To give ourselves the best shot, we need our best candidates running the toughest races," Rep. Janelle Bynum, D-N.H., who was elected in 2024, told Politico. "That'll take an all-hands on deck approach — from the DCCC to national ideological groups to state and local groups — to ensure we uplift those candidates in the primary and get the job done in the general."
Sam Barron ✉
Sam Barron has almost two decades of experience covering a wide range of topics including politics, crime and business.