Democrats expand 2026 targets after victories in Florida and Georgia
The article reports a series of recent election victories boosting Democratic confidence ahead of the 2026 midterm elections. Notably,Democrats flipped the Miami mayorship for the first time in nearly 30 years adn won a Georgia state House seat in a traditionally Republican district. These successes have encouraged the Democratic Legislative campaign Committee (DLCC) to expand their target map for 2026, aiming to compete in 42 state legislative chambers-the most ever targeted-and to invest $50 million in campaigns. The DLCC highlighted that Democrats outperformed expectations in recent special elections, which often favor their party due to lower turnout. Meanwhile, former President Donald Trump held a rally in Pennsylvania pushing a Republican economic message and urging support for GOP candidates ahead of midterms, acknowledging the party’s recent political struggles. Nevertheless, Democrats remain optimistic about their momentum going into 2026, with DLCC leaders emphasizing wins across diverse regions and warning Republicans of the growing challenge.
Democrats set expanded targets after surprise victories in Florida and Georgia
A string of election victories on Tuesday has Democrats bullish about the midterm elections, leading them to expand their target map for 2026.
In an upset win, the party flipped the Miami mayorship blue for the first time in nearly three decades, fueling Democratic confidence, while Eric Gisler’s sweeping victory in a Georgia state House race stole another seat from Republicans, offering further cause for celebration.
The Democratic Legislative Campaign Committee responded to the positive results by announcing plans to expand its 2026 target map to include “new flip” opportunities across the country, including in both chambers of the Arizona and New Hampshire state legislatures. The DLCC, which serves as the campaign arm dedicated to electing Democrats to statehouses, also revealed it will seek to break and prevent Republican supermajorities in the Florida, Indiana, Missouri, and North Carolina legislatures.
“The DLCC’s data shows that state legislative Democrats overperformed 2025 elections in targeted districts by 4.5 points on average, which, if replicated in 2026 elections, would provide the most significant Democratic gains at this ballot level in two decades,” the committee wrote.
The DLCC said the new map would target a total of 42 chambers,“ the most targets ever.” And it announced a $50 million investment in 2026 races, described as “the largest single-year budget to date.”
Special elections and off-year elections often favor Democrats due to lower turnout.
While Democrats were enjoying the results on Tuesday night, President Donald Trump was touting the Republican message at a rally in Pennsylvania, a critical battleground state for both parties.
The president highlighted the administration’s efforts to spur economic opportunity, as the White House continues to rip Democrats for seeking to dominate the affordability conversation.
“Democrats talking about affordability is like Bonnie and Clyde preaching out public safety,” Trump told the crowd, calling the party the “enemy of the working class and reiterating statements in which he has blamed the Biden administration for overseeing a steep rise in inflation.
“Democrats say, ‘Prices are too high.’ Yeah, prices are too high because they caused them to be high,” he said.
The president’s appearance came as his senior advisers, including chief of staff Susie Wiles, have pushed him to campaign for Republicans ahead of the midterm elections. Their strategy follows the GOP’s rough year politically, with losses in Virginia and New Jersey preceding the results in Georgia and Florida Tuesday evening.
“‘[Republicans] have to win the midterms, and you’re the guy that’s going to take us over the midterms,’” Trump recalled his advisers telling him during the rally.
But galvanized by their string of victories this year, Democrats hold an increasingly optimistic outlook ahead of the highly anticipated 2026 elections.
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“It’s clear state legislative Democrats have undeniable momentum heading into the new year,” DLCC President Heather Williams said in a statement this week responding to Gisler’s shock victory in Georgia.
“Eric Gisler just defied expectations and flipped a deep red Trump district in Georgia. This victory builds on state Democrats’ momentum as we’ve overperformed and flipped red, blue, and purple districts across the country all year round. From Iowa to Pennsylvania to Virginia to Mississippi to now Georgia, we are competing and winning all across the map,” she added, in a warning to Republicans.
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