"Washington is broken": Democrats running for office turn sharply against their own party

Democrats are adopting a drastically more negative tone toward their own party in the 2026 midterm elections, swapping promises of bipartisan collaboration with vows to "take on corruption in both parties." Why it matters: This surge in political friendly fire reflects the extraordinary level of anger candidates are seeing from their voters toward the Democratic Party and the national political establishment. Sam Forstag, a House candidate in Montana, told Axios in an interview that "a whole lot of my coworkers got a sour look on their face" when he revealed he was running as a Democrat. "We have heard pretty loud and clear, whether it's at our town halls or on parade routes, that ... there's just a growing frustration with both political parties," said Jake Johnson, a Democratic candidate in Minnesota. Data: AdImpact; Note: Party totals include independents running as the de facto nominee; Chart: Andrew Solender/Axios By the numbers: An Axios analysis of more than 350 ads in federal and statewide elections since 2018 found a huge uptick in Democratic ads mentioning either the Democratic Party or both parties in a negative context. The analysis looked at ads run between Aug. 24 and Sept. 22 of each election year that used phrases such as "my own party," "both parties," and "party leaders." Candidates often try to appeal to swing voters by pitching themselves as bipartisan problem solvers, pointing out past instances of collaboration or making pledges to work across the aisle if elected. But Democrats have leaned hard into more populist, anti-establishment rhetoric this year, with ads denouncing a broken political system or citing past instances in which they defied their party. "I didn't care that he was a Democrat or the pressure that I got to make it go away," Virginia Democrat Shannon Taylor says in one ad about the prosecution of former state Sen. Joe Morrissey. Randy Villegas, a Democratic candidate in California, declares in one of his ads: "Washington is broken because corrupt politicians in both parties care more about their donors and their party bosses than us." "I'll stand up to anyone, Democrat or Republican, who isn't focused on what's right for them," vows Blake Gendebien, a Democrat in upstate New York. Even the House Democratic campaign arm is getting in on the action, running a coordinated ad with Michigan Democrat Christina Hines in which the former SVU prosecutor recounts how she "cleaned up messes when I put away predators, pedophiles, and murderers." "I didn't care if they were Republican or Democrat," she says in the spot, adding that "right now, D.C. is the biggest mess of all." Says Rep. Marcy Kaptur (D-Ohio) in an ad: "Washington's not just broken, it's deeply corrupt, and both parties need to shape up." Between the lines: Axios identified 47 ads run by Democrats or independents running as the de facto Democratic nominee in the last 30 days with that type of negative messaging, up from 19 in 2024 and 2022, 15 in 2020, and 14 in 2018. Democrats' positive messaging about the two parties — such as promises to "work with both parties" or "bring Democrats and Republicans together" — has plummeted from 45 ads in 2024 to 18 this year. That contrasts with Republicans' relatively cheery tone: "Republicans defending a broken status quo should be very nervous," said Eric Koch, a Democratic operative working on House races. What they're saying: Forstag said he "can think of no better articulation of the literal disconnect between our representatives at the federal level and what it's been like on the ground" than Democrats' positive economic message in 2024. "What I hear from people is that even the basic necessities are becoming more and more difficult to afford," the Montana Democrat told Axios. Johnson pointed to Minnesota's sprawling fraud scandal as "a huge issue" that "really erodes peoples' trust" in the state's Democratic-led government. "Everybody that I talk to, and this has become more and more true over the years, hates both parties," said Hines, "hates Democrats, hates Republicans." Justin Pearson of Tennessee told Axios voters see "way too many similarities between the Democratic Party and Republican Party." "Democrats have a responsibility to hold ourselves ... to a higher standard," Pearson added. Yes, but: Some Democrats prefer to keep their cross-party messaging optimistic. Swing-district Rep. Greg Landsman (D-Ohio) is running an ad lauding how he "got Republicans and Democrats to work together and change the law" on Social Security benefits for public pensioners. "I really do believe that the opposite of this deeply unpopular status quo is people working together to get shit done," Landsman told Axios.

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