The Rest Is Politics: US 142. How to Win the Midterms
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Jan 2, 2026 The hosts delve into the stakes of the upcoming midterms, emphasizing the significance of congressional control for both parties. They discuss the need for Democrats to focus on centrist messaging and affordability issues to win swing districts, particularly housing and healthcare. There's a debate on balancing progressive energy with pragmatic strategies to engage voters. The show highlights the GOP's tactics, including Trump’s role in energizing their base, and stresses targeting key competitive districts to ensure voter turnout.
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Put Electability Over Purity
- Prioritize a broad, pragmatic message and avoid intra-party purges that hurt electability.
- Focus on winning swing districts by running centrist, electable candidates tailored to each district.
Midterms Reshape Presidential Power
- Midterms can shift power dramatically even if the president uses executive actions.
- Winning the House would enable investigations, subpoenas, and change the national zeitgeist about the presidency.
Make Affordability The Core Message
- Make affordability the central campaign theme and propose tangible policies to lower costs.
- Target housing, healthcare and small-business relief as concrete ways to improve everyday affordability.