{"id":7074003,"date":"2026-10-03T07:25:12","date_gmt":"2026-10-03T07:25:12","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/fivemor.com\/?p=7074003"},"modified":"2026-10-03T07:25:12","modified_gmt":"2026-10-03T07:25:12","slug":"2026-midterms-how-both-parties-have-changed-since-2024","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/fivemor.com\/?p=7074003","title":{"rendered":"2026 midterms: How both parties have changed since 2024"},"content":{"rendered":"


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This story appeared in Today, Explained, a daily newsletter that helps you understand the most compelling news and stories of the day. Subscribe here<\/a><\/em>.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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Depending on your political appetite and your geographic location, you absolutely do not need me to remind you of the upcoming midterm elections. But for those of you unencumbered by an unhealthy attachment to political news, and unassaulted by the onslaught of ever-more-brazen political ads<\/a>, consider this your official notice that the midterms are approaching. Fast.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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In less than six weeks, Americans will head to the polls to decide which party controls Congress, along with a slew of state and local offices. The stakes are arguably unusually high: Voters will choose whether to check the power of a president who has bulldozed over historical norms and limits.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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So starting this evening, I\u2019m partnering with my colleague Astead Herndon and Vox\u2019s Midterms, Actually team<\/a> for five weekly editions on the biggest issues shaping the 2026 midterms. Together with outside experts, we\u2019ll break down one issue each week and suggest further reading and races to watch in November.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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Up first, and without further ado: the profound shift that both parties have experienced since the 2024 election. These are not your mother\u2019s Democrats. Or <\/em>Republicans.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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To kick this series off, I asked Astead to imagine a hypothetical world in which he hadn\u2019t followed politics since 2024. (An outlandish counterfactual: Astead is acutely<\/a> plugged into politics.) But in this alternate universe, I asked, what would surprise him most about 2026?<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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Easy, he said. The GOP\u2019s disillusionment with President Donald Trump, who remade the party in his image.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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Let\u2019s put some numbers on that phenomenon, to start. Trump\u2019s approval rating has dipped to record lows, even among Republicans. According to an NBC poll<\/a> conducted in mid-September, just four in 10 Republicans strongly approve of Trump\u2019s performance, down 11 percentage points from the spring.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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Republicans have soured on Trump over his handling of the economy<\/a> and attacks on Iran, which violated his promise to keep America out of foreign wars. Trump\u2019s delayed release of the Epstein files also fueled distrust in his base<\/a> by exposing his own ties to the dreaded \u201celite insiders.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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In response, some Republican candidates have worked to distance themselves from Trump<\/a>, even defying him in campaign ads. But it\u2019s unclear whether that tactic will win over disillusioned or disengaged Republicans. If enough stay home, Astead said \u2014 especially with Democrats eager to vote \u2014 Democrats could flip the House and\/or Senate<\/a> and make Trump\u2019s last years in office far more difficult.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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And speaking of Democrats\u2026they\u2019re also<\/em> undergoing a major transformation after their 2024 presidential defeat. That loss disproved their previous theory of Trump-era politics: namely, that Trump\u2019s rise was an aberration that competence, decency, and normalcy would eventually overcome.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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By contrast, today\u2019s Democrats want a party that \u201cfights,\u201d Astead told me. \u201cThe open question is who they\u2019re fighting: The oligarchy? Big Tech? The Billionaire\/Epstein class? Trump\u2019s Republican Party?\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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Democrats face ideological questions, too. Since 2024, voters have lost trust in the establishment and in party leaders\u2019 ability to pick the best candidates; left-wing candidates have thrived in that vacuum. It\u2019s pretty wild, when you think about it, that a Muslim democratic socialist in New York ranks among America\u2019s most popular Democrats<\/a>.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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For both parties, then, November 3 is a test of their respective visions for America. Not just between the parties \u2014 as in, Republicans vs. Democrats \u2014 but within them, as well. That, in turn, will help determine the rest of Trump\u2019s presidency\u2026and the 2028 presidential election.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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But it\u2019s only October 1. Let\u2019s not get ahead of ourselves.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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\u27a8 Races to watch:<\/em><\/strong> Michigan\u2019s Senate race<\/a>, where progressive Democrat Abdul El-Sayed faces Republican Mike Rogers; Florida\u2019s 27th District, where Republican Mar\u00eda Elvira Salazar publicly broke with Trump<\/a>; and the Nebraska, Idaho, and South Dakota\u2019s Senate races<\/a>, where independent candidates will test both sides\u2019 exhaustion with the two-party system.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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\u27a8 \u201cDecant\u201d your berries and asparagus.<\/strong> They\u2019ll last longer with more space and air. It\u2019s one of several gloriously simple ways you can reduce food waste<\/a> without resorting to complex cooking projects or pricey \u201cstorage systems.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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