In case you missed it, The Washington Post outlined how Republicans can defy history and retain the House majority as Democrats struggle with their unpopular, far-left socialist candidates and “bruised” brand.
You can read the full story here or see highlights below.
Why you shouldn’t be surprised if Democrats don’t flip the House
Washington Post
August 6, 2026
Polls also show that the Democratic brand is bruised.
The Democratic Party is less popular than before the 2018 midterm elections, when a blue wave delivered 41 new seats, according to a CNN poll released in late July.
Just before that 2018 election, 46 percent of adults rated Democrats favorably while 45 percent rated them unfavorably. Now, 30 percent rate Democrats favorably while 51 percent rate them unfavorably, almost identical to ratings for the Republican Party.
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Republicans made it unusually hard for Democrats to win the majority by launching a national battle to redraw electoral maps mid-decade. While Democrats tried to gain their own seats, the redistricting gambit proved advantageous for the GOP.
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The high court lifted limits on how much political parties can spend in coordination with candidates, allowing the political parties’ national committees and their House and Senate campaign committees to funnel as much money as they want in coordination with candidates.
This will allow political parties to boost their candidates with more ads, probably at lower costs because candidates get cheaper rates than parties and super PACs from the Federal Communications Commission, which regulates the airwaves. Republican committees have more money to spend than Democrats on those efforts.
Conservatives could also benefit from Trump’s super PAC, MAGA Inc., which ended June with $400 million in the bank.
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In past elections, Republicans lost competitive congressional races after more hard-line conservatives emerged from primaries. Now Democrats have a similar problem.
Primary victories by several progressive candidates have made some in the party establishment worry about losing winnable seats.
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Doug Heye, a Republican strategist, said that while Republicans have a “very narrow” path to the majority, they could defy expectations if the party successfully casts its opponents as extreme and out of touch. They include candidates affiliated with the Democratic Socialists of America, a growing political movement with far-left views.
'With every candidate on the DSA side that succeeds, that makes that argument that much easier," Heye said.
In an analysis this week, the University of Virginia's Center of Politics said “Democratic candidates flopping is integral to GOP chances” in several states.
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