Democratic Candidates Shift Stances on Gaza, Borders, and Sports Ahead of Midterms

Two years after Donald Trump returned to the White House, Democratic candidates are recalibrating their policy platforms for the upcoming midterm elections. The party is attempting to regain control of both houses of Congress, a goal that has become complicated by deep internal divisions since Trump defeated Kamala Harris in 2024. Candidates are now choosing between softening their positions, pushing further left, or breaking with party leadership depending on their specific district.

The most visible change is occurring on the issue of Israel. More than 74,000 Palestinians have been killed in the war in Gaza, which began after the October 7, 2023, attacks. A Pew Research Center survey from earlier this year found that 60 percent of US adults hold an unfavorable view of Israel. Among Democrats, that figure rises to 80 percent. This data has prompted some longtime allies to rethink their support for the US-Israel relationship.

Senator Chris Coons of Delaware, who is expected to chair the Senate Foreign Relations Committee if his party wins the Senate, told Politico this month that he wants a thorough reexamination of the relationship. He said he would consider sanctions on Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. This marks a shift from the 2024 campaign, when Harris declined calls to feature a Palestinian American speaker at the Democratic National Convention. Meanwhile, Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer maintains that the US commitment to Israel's security must remain ironclad, despite 40 Democratic senators backing a motion to disapprove military sales to Israel earlier this year.

Transgender rights have also become a point of contention, particularly in tight races for the House and Senate. Several candidates have played down support for the community, focusing specifically on transgender students in school sports. Ohio Representative Marcy Kaptur ran an advertisement stating that boys should not play in girls' sports. North Carolina Representative Don Davis called for a safe and fair space for women and girls in sports, while South Carolina Senate candidate Annie Andrews said she opposes biological men playing in women's sports. This strategy follows a 2024 Trump campaign ad that highlighted Harris's support for transgender Americans.

Not all Democrats agree with this approach. At a town hall in Portland, Maine, on Thursday, Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez addressed a transgender student who described feeling abandoned by the party. Ocasio-Cortez said she was ashamed that people scare so easily after an election. She argued that compromising a trans person's rights compromises the rights of every citizen, countering the more cautious stance taken by colleagues in swing districts.

Immigration policy has similarly split the party. Customs and Border Protection recorded more than 8 million border encounters between 2021 and 2025. In Texas, Senate candidate James Talarico calls himself a border security Democrat and backs stronger enforcement alongside comprehensive reform. Lucas Holtz of the moderate group Third Way said such stances work because they are proactive. He argued that the Harris campaign did not stick to its early call for order at the border. On the left, the fatal shootings of US citizens Renee Good and Alex Pretti by federal immigration agents in Minneapolis earlier this year have fueled calls to abolish or drastically overhaul ICE.

Health care remains an area where Democrats agree on the need for more government involvement but disagree on the method. Michigan Senate candidate Abdul El-Sayed supports Medicare for All, while Andrews wants lapsed Affordable Care Act subsidies restored and limits on insurer profits. KFF polling shows that 66 percent of US adults now back Medicare for All, a figure that is up 13 points from October 2020. Holtz said all Democrats want to move toward universal coverage in the best way possible, acknowledging the varied paths candidates are taking to achieve that goal.