Liberal donors reportedly already are eyeing a Democrat takeover of the U.S. House in 2026.
No budget has been set yet for 2026 races, when leaders of the donor network Democracy Alliance plan to prioritize flipping control of the House by building on gains seen this year in New York and California, CNN reported.
Alliance money helped Democrats flip three House seats in California and four in New York.
Republicans will hold a 220-215 advantage in the 119th Congress, though three GOP seats are expected to become vacant mostly due to members leaving for jobs in the Trump administration.
"The House will be a critical place where we will be able to minimize the harms of the [Trump] administration," Democracy Alliance's President Pamela Shifman told CNN. "We have a lot of momentum for this effort. I am confident that we have what we need to win."
Despite Republicans winning control of both the chambers of Congress in this year's election, Democrats flipped House seats in the deep-blue state of New York. Democracy Alliance funded more than $11 million toward that effort.
With special elections next year in New York and Florida to fill expected GOP vacancies in the House, Shifman said, "Nothing is off the table at this point."
She added that the group hopes to build on a model that involved field organizing by established labor and activist groups in those states.
Democracy Alliance, with about 120 members who pay annual dues of $35,000, has donated more than $2 billion into liberal causes and organizations since its creation in 2005.
The alliance, which does not identify its donors, is comprised of labor unions, foundations, and wealthy individuals.
In another Democrat move aimed at winning House control, party members recently launched a new effort to recruit challengers for Republican districts in Arizona, Michigan, California, and Virginia that were not contested this year, The Washington Post reported.
"The way we are looking at it is we have to start seeding the ground, recruiting the right candidates now, knowing that Democrats could shift the ground with Donald Trump and Republican control in Washington," said House Majority PAC President Mike Smith, whose group is closely aligned with Democrat Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y.
"We are focused on expanding the map and recruiting candidates that have voted Republican but shifted toward Democrats in recent years."
Charlie McCarthy ✉
Charlie McCarthy, a writer/editor at Newsmax, has nearly 40 years of experience covering news, sports, and politics.
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