Democratic Midterm Candidates Diverge on Gaza, Border, and Health Care

Democratic candidates preparing for the 2026 midterm elections are redefining their policy platforms on four contentious issues. The party is attempting to retake control of both chambers of Congress after Republican President Donald Trump won his second nonconsecutive term in 2024. This strategic recalibration has created visible fractures between establishment moderates and the progressive wing, driven by organizations like the Democratic Socialists of America.

The shift is most evident in the party’s approach to Israel. More than 74,000 Palestinians have died in the war in Gaza that began following the October 7, 2023 attacks. A Pew Research Center survey from earlier this year found that 60 percent of US adults now hold an unfavorable view of Israel. That figure rises to 80 percent among Democrats. These numbers are forcing a reassessment of long-standing alliances.

Senator Chris Coons of Delaware, who is expected to chair the Senate Foreign Relations Committee if Democrats win the majority, told Politico this month that he wants a thorough reexamination of the US-Israeli relationship. He said he would consider sanctions against Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. This stands in contrast to the 2024 campaign, when then-Vice President Kamala Harris declined calls for a Palestinian American speaker at the Democratic National Convention. In the current Senate, 40 Democrats backed a motion disapproving military sales to Israel, while only seven joined Republicans to block it. Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, who would likely become majority leader, maintains that the US commitment to Israel’s security must be ironclad.

Divisions over transgender rights have also emerged, particularly regarding school sports. In tight races, several Democrats have softened their support. 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 athletics. South Carolina Senate candidate Annie Andrews said she opposes biological men playing in women’s sports. These positions follow a 2024 Trump campaign ad that highlighted Harris’s support for transgender Americans.

Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez of New York pushed back against these shifts. At a town hall in Portland, Maine, on Thursday, she addressed a transgender student who described feeling abandoned by the party. Ocasio-Cortez said she was ashamed that some people scare so easily after an election. She argued that compromising the rights of trans people compromises the rights of every citizen.

Immigration policy presents another point of contention. Customs and Border Protection recorded more than 8 million border encounters between 2021 and 2025. Texas Senate candidate James Talarico identifies as a border security Democrat. He supports stronger enforcement alongside comprehensive reform. Lucas Holtz of the Third Way group 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. In contrast, Andrews wants to restore lapsed Affordable Care Act subsidies and limit insurer profits. KFF polling shows that 66 percent of US adults now back Medicare for All, a 13-point increase from October 2020. Holtz said all Democrats want to move toward universal coverage in the best way possible.