Pod Save America 1092: Will There Be a Blue Wave in 2026?
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Nov 30, 2025 
In this insightful conversation, Amy Walter, Publisher and editor-in-chief of The Cook Political Report, dissects the upcoming electoral landscape. She analyzes whether Democrats can replicate their 2025 victories and regain key demographics like white working-class and Latino voters. Walter discusses the impact of Trump's rising prices on voter sentiment and the GOP's struggles with internal politics on affordability. They also explore the ramifications of redistricting and polarization on future House and Senate elections, highlighting how these factors shape the path for Democrats in 2026.
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Pass Tangible Cost-Reduction Measures
- Republicans should enact visible affordability measures like extending ACA tax credits to regain trust.
- Amy Walter explains political constraints mean GOP must weigh base backlash versus swing-voter appeal.
Redistricting Will Shift Few House Seats Net
- Even aggressive Republican redistricting likely yields only a low-single-digit net House gain.
- Amy Walter says California, Virginia, and courts limit a GOP rout; the map change is narrower than feared.
Local Interests Temper National Gerrymandering Push
- Some red-state lawmakers resist extreme gerrymanders to avoid long-term vulnerability in wave years.
- That local parochialism curbed national efforts to maximize partisan maps.