I agree with Larry Sabato, director of the Center for Politics at the University of Virginia. What he contends about political races in 2026 affirms the claim I have been making about Democrat message-making since Trump was elected in 2025.
Focusing on issues like the Epstein files, Trump’s criminal record and incessant lying, the President’s use of the military to control Washington and now Chicago, the erosion of democracy and rise of authoritarianism, his failure to follow court orders, the rule of law and the Constitution inherently will not and cannot be winning issues for Democrats in the 2026 election.
As a political communication scholar for more than 40 years, from a rhetorical perspective I believe these issues are too abstract and do not directly and concretely impact the lives of most Americans. Moreover, they do not resonate emotionally and viscerally with voters.
Let’s be clear. These issues notwithstanding, Trump voters drank the Kool-Aid early on and hence will return home and vote for the Republican candidates endorsed by their leader. In addition, independents, moderate Republicans and those who didn’t vote in 2024 will not be swayed by these pseudo issues.
To be successful, therefore, the Democrat message primarily must be about rising prices and how what Trump has done is responsible for cost of products we rely on daily. Put simply, Trump promised to lower prices and end inflation—and we now are experiencing firsthand and suffering the impact of his failure.
US stocks sink under the weight of rising pressure from the bond market
As Dan Rather suggests: “Anyone who has bought groceries recently knows prices are up, in some cases way up. The cost of everything from milk to beef to lettuce has increased since Donald Trump took office. That, plus employment worries, a housing shortage, and tariffs are causing a majority of Americans to be pessimistic about the economy in general and their futures specifically.”
That should be issue No. 1 for Democrats.
Richard A. Cherwitz is the Ernest Sharpe Centennial Professor Emeritus at The University of Texas-Austin. He is a regular contributor to The Courant.
