Five Days to Run Through the Tape

In these final days of the 2026 midterm elections, it’s essential that Democrats run through the tape and sprint toward Election Day as though they’re behind. Even if a candidate or party is leading in the polls, there’s no slowing down until all ballots are cast and the counting begins on election night. Polls don’t vote, people do, and you can never take electoral support for granted.

The more seats that Democrats win, and the greater their margins of victory, the fewer chances there are for Trump and his allies to call the results into question. We at JDCA are working to ensure Democratic wins with unprecedented efforts in these elections, and you can be an essential part of it. Find a phone bank or canvass near you, and join us. Or support our work with a gift today.

Since JDCA launched nine years ago to serve as the political home for Jewish voters in support of Democrats who share our values, our work has grown. While we have expanded our efforts each year, the 2026 midterms have been distinct. Here are five ways these midterms have been different from the perspective of Jewish Dems:

First, we’ve broken records in this election. We’re on track to make more than one million direct voter engagements in 21 states (we just added two more in the past few hours). JDCA PAC is running advertisements statewide in six states and in 22 distinct House districts. We’ve had 15,000 participants in our programs, with more than 500 volunteers and 32 JDCA Campus Fellows leading our direct voter outreach efforts.

Second, the Democratic candidates running to flip seats from red to blue are among the strongest Democrats have had in a single election cycle. This may run counter to the conventional wisdom in the Jewish community, which has focused on the rise of the far-left and the ascent of about ten Democratic Socialists of America (DSA) candidates who won their primaries. While that dynamic has presented its own set of challenges, JDCA has endorsed a record-breaking number of Democratic candidates because we are focused on flipping red seats to blue, and the Democrats positioned to do that are stronger than they’ve ever been.

While we at JDCA only endorse Democrats, we don’t endorse all Democrats. We only support those who align with our values. With this in mind, it’s important to remember that there are far more Democrats on the ballot who stand with the Jewish community on key issues of importance to Jewish voters than not. Were it not for the many centrist and mainstream Democratic candidates who stand with Jewish Americans and will likely win over Independent voters in key states and districts, Democrats would not be on the path to winning these critically important midterm elections.

Third, the Republican candidates are weak and beholden to Trump’s agenda. In 2026, 100% of Republicans on the ballot for federal office are aligned with Donald Trump, which means they have chosen to remain silent amid his widespread chaos, cruelty, and corruption. Have any doubts? Watch any of the Trump rallies from the past week, listen to his vitriol, bigotry, delusion, and detachment from the realities facing the American people, and check to see if any Republican candidates have distanced themselves from Trump. They haven’t, just as every Republican in Congress has remained silent and complicit for the past 21 months as Trump has enacted an unconstitutional agenda based on cruelty and self-dealing.

We know based on polling that the number one issue for Jewish voters in 2026 is cost-of-living and affordability, followed by the future of democracy. One statement made by President Trump this week epitomizes the grave threat he poses to both. At a rally, he asserted that the $5,000 bribe he’s offered to American adults for voting for Republicans – illegally granted only if the GOP wins – could only buy a “hamburger and a small dessert” at Mar-a-Lago. Enough said.

Fourth, a debate about where Democrats stand on issues of importance to Jewish Americans has been pushed to the forefront in this election, which we at JDCA continue to navigate. In this regard, we’re grateful to have strong allies in Democratic Party leadership and throughout the party who are champions on key issues of importance to Jewish Americans, such as defending democracy, fighting for affordability and freedoms, holding this administration accountable, combating antisemitism and hate, and supporting the U.S.-Israel relationship.

On the issue of Israel, it’s important to recognize that the vast majority of Jewish Americans are both supportive of Israel’s security and people, and disapprove of extreme policies of the current Israeli government. In the 2026 midterms, many Democratic candidates have reflected a similar nuance, and we look forward to working with Democratic leadership to ensure extreme positions are drowned out by an overwhelming mainstream majority in the next Congress. We are in a much stronger position to have a seat at the table if Democrats win, and the larger the wins, the smaller the role and influence far-left voices will have within the party.

Fifth, these midterms aren’t solely about any one state or election. It’s about large Dem wins that re-establish guardrails on an out-of-control White House.

We’ve had enough of the cruelty, chaos, and corruption of this White House, and hope Democrats can bring its wrecking ball of destruction to an end and deliver for the American people, including Jewish Americans. The only way to achieve this goal is by electing strong Democratic majorities in the House and Senate. We can do this by electing Democrats who share our values, not solely focusing on those who do not.

Join us in running through the tape over the next five days, and join our unprecedented efforts to elect the many Democrats who share our values in this election. We’ve got four days left.

Shabbat Shalom,

Halie Soifer
CEO, Jewish Democratic Council of America