Democrats Contest 2026 Midwest Races in 13 States as Trump Support Erodes

3 articles · Updated · CNN · Aug 16

Democrats are mounting their broadest Midwest and Farm Belt push since the Obama years, seriously competing for governorships and Senate seats from Michigan and Wisconsin to Ohio, Iowa, Kansas and Nebraska.
High living costs, weaker farm incomes, gas-price pressure and backlash to Trump’s policies have loosened the GOP’s grip, with his approval among white non-college voters slipping to roughly 50-50 in Pennsylvania and Wisconsin.
The party’s best pickup chances are Ohio and Iowa, where Democrats see winnable governor and Senate races if deep-red rural counties become merely lighter red rather than delivering 60- to 70-point GOP margins.
Republicans still hold structural advantages: white voters without four-year degrees make up about half the electorate in many of these states, and Democrats remain vulnerable on cultural issues and in two Senate defenses in Michigan and Minnesota.
The fight marks a sharp shift from 2024, when Trump carried all but Illinois and Minnesota among these states, and could determine whether 2026 becomes a referendum on Washington’s economy and war policies.