The Key to Winning the House in 2026: Democrats Must Run On Corruption
There’s an apparent paradox at the heart of American politics that Democrats need to understand to win back the country. For years, American voters have consistently elected the candidates they trust more to take on government corruption. Today, swing voters are still very bothered by corruption in Washington, according to focus groups recently commissioned by End Citizens United. Given the spectacle of Trump’s many grifts, the meme coins, the Qatari luxury jet, etc., that should mean that Democrats have a major opening. And yet, the recent focus groups also make clear that Democrats can’t expect Trump’s corruption to automatically deliver them wins. Instead, to regain popular support, Democrats must stake out aggressive anti-corruption positions that address how Congress and special interests collude to harm everyday Americans.
I spoke with Tiffany Muller, End Citizen United’s president, about the focus group findings, which are unambiguous: Fighting government corruption is a winning issue for Democrats. The consensus in the groups was that members of Congress enrich themselves through “legalized corruption,” and the current system benefits wealthy donors and elected officials at the expense of working people. Participants could articulate, for example, that politicians trade stocks with seemingly inside information. “Voters know that it doesn’t have to be an outright quid pro quo to be corrupt,” Muller told me. Voters described a sense of “having no voice, having no power. One guy even said, ‘Look, shit rolls downhill, and I’m at the bottom.’”
At this late date, no one should be surprised by those results. What’s new, and demands serious consideration, is the degree to which voters categorized Democrats and Republicans as equally culpable for widespread, legal corruption that harms everyday Americans. “This sense of ‘a pox on both your houses’ was more intense than we’ve seen in the past,” Muller explained. Voters expressed cynicism that elected officials, Democratic or Republican, would ever do anything to stop the corruption because, as they see it, elected officials universally benefit from self-dealing.
Voters’ cynicism provides Democrats with an opening, if not a mandate. The focus groups show it couldn’t be clearer that tackling the corrosive effects of money in politics is extremely popular with voters. Participants most strongly supported the Congressional stock trading bans and Supreme Court ethics reform. Previous polling by End Citizens United backs up those findings: 69% of voters supported reforming the Federal Election Commission to make it easier to enforce campaign finance laws. Strong majorities supported reforms to Congress. Sixty-eight percent supported banning members of Congress from flying first class with taxpayer dollars; 67% supported banning members of Congress from becoming lobbyists; 62% supported banning members of Congress from trading stocks.
The focus group findings also provide a roadmap for how Democrats can talk about money corrupting the government. While the notion of protecting democracy was murky, the idea of corruption being unfair and raising costs was salient and universal. What really bothered voters was that politicians and wealthy donors enrich themselves while also increasing costs for ordinary people.
Along similar lines, while the mere presence of multiple billionaires in Trump’s cabinet didn’t necessarily upset focus group participants, the idea that those billionaires could self-deal while also enacting policies detrimental to everyday Americans did. One of the examples of corruption that most bothered participants was Trump and Republicans taking nearly $9 million from pharmaceutical companies and then Trump saying he would overturn the cap on insulin prices and the law that requires Medicare to negotiate for cheaper drug prices.
If Democrats are going to win back voters, the focus groups suggest, they need to pay attention to these distinctions and advocate for changes that address how corruption increases daily costs of living. “We have to call out the corruption because voters know it’s there and just pretending it’s not happening only leaves them feeling more cynical,” Muller told me. “Voters don’t trust either party, so we need to say why we’re different and how we’re different.”
Hammering Trump on his corruption, no matter how flagrant, will not be enough, Muller told me: “Trump, despite being the most corrupt president we have ever seen, retains some strength on these issues. Voters believe he is out for himself, but also believe he is willing to radically change a system that hasn't worked for them. Plus, his frequent messaging on ‘draining the swamp’ and his political opponents being ‘corrupt’ has created a unique situation in voters' minds.” While voters generally assume that donors control politicians, Muller explained, “They think Trump is not controlled by anyone.” That doesn’t mean Democrats shouldn’t attack Trump on his corruption, but it does mean that when they do, they need to offer visible evidence that Trump is self-dealing, and they can’t expect those critiques alone to sway voters.
Meanwhile, Muller said, “Voters want change. They have been voting for change for over 20 years, and this is especially true when they view our system as unresponsive to their economic needs.” In 1994, 2006, 2008, 2016, and 2024 American voters chose candidates that promised major changes. This is a critical point given that Democrats are currently associated with defending the status quo.
Democrats also have to convince voters that they know that the system is rigged and they want systemic change to make life fairer for Americans. Proving that Democrats are different requires Democrats being different. The focus groups show that Democrats can be persuasive if they frame their criticisms of Republicans around their scams costing regular people.
But ultimately, the voters also signaled that when it comes to corruption, they need to see real changes being offered. As Muller summarized, “They're cynical, and they're not dumb. They really get it.” So, if Democrats want to capitalize on Trump being an open grifter, and avoid getting lumped in with him and his friends, they need to take concrete action. Supporting the ban on members of Congress trading stocks would be a good start.