As the 2026 midterm elections approach, Democrats are hoping voter frustrations with the cost of living and an unpopular war in Iran will help them win back control of both the U.S. House and Senate.
Washington’s 1st District Rep. Suzan DelBene is facing Republican challenger Mary Silva on the ballot in November.
DelBene is also keeping an eye on races across the country as chair of the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee. She joined KNKX All Things Considered host Emil Moffatt to talk about what she expects on Election Day.
Voting in the midterm elections is open until 8 p.m. on Nov. 3.
Transcript
KNKX’s Emil Moffatt: So we're less than a month away from the midterm elections. What's the state of play right now when you look across the country in terms of Democrats possibly taking back the House?
REP. Suzan DelBene: We are on offense all across the country. We need to net three more seats to take back the majority. We're on offense in 66 districts, and we have great candidates running all across the country, and opportunities literally in every part of the country to flip seats and take back the majority.
Moffatt: How much has that map changed of competitive races within the last six to eight months or so?
DelBene: It's changed quite a bit. One, we've continued to add to our map as more races kind of come into play, and our secret sauce is our candidates. We have great candidates running in these districts who have all different types of backgrounds, from firefighters and mayors; veterans — many veterans, small business owners, ministers, even a Grammy award-winning musician, all running to serve their community and make a change.
Moffatt: It seems like in the last few election cycles, the polls have been somewhat unreliable in that we hear one thing leading up to Election Day, and the results turn out differently. At the DCCC, what are some of the indicators that you all look at to see how competitive races are going to be?
DelBene: Really, kind of the most powerful thing is to go knock on doors, phone calls, and ask folks what they're thinking. That's where we get the best information, and folks are struggling with high costs all across the country. We know that's the number one issue that we hear. The cost of living has skyrocketed. People are struggling, and they have heard nothing from Republicans to even say they recognize that's an issue, let alone that they want to do anything to solve it. That has been a big thing we're hearing on the ground everywhere.
Moffatt: And you mentioned the cost of living. Is that what you're hearing top of mind from voters? And what else are you hearing as far as voters in this midterm election?
DelBene: Well, definitely cost of living across the board, and healthcare, both as a cost issue, but also as an issue that families are struggling with, given the, you know, huge cuts that Republicans put in place at the beginning of this Congress, where they slashed Medicaid funding, got rid of the tax credits that help people who bought their healthcare on the exchange.
Moffatt: Sometimes we'll hear from voters who will say "I don't like what Trump's doing. I don't like what the Republicans are doing," but also "I'm not quite sure about the Democratic Party these days," maybe "I used to be a Democrat." What are you saying to voters who kind of shrug their shoulders and say, "I don't have any good options?"
DelBene: Well, I think right now, it's not surprising that folks across the country are upset because they're struggling, and they want to know that someone understands they're struggling, and that the focus from their elected officials is to solve problems for them.
Moffatt: And do you think this is an opportunity for Democrats to kind of move the needle when you have voters that say "I can't tell the difference between the parties," "are there no good options." If you're able to work across the aisle and come to consensus on issues, that that might prove a differentiator for Democrats.
DelBene: I think people want to see governance work. They want our government to work to address the problems that they see, and so that means because of the way our government works, we need to build coalitions, build support to get legislation through. I think people want to see that. I think there's a yearning to see governance work, and part of our role, and the majority too, will be to lead, to bring folks together, to tackle the top issues we're hearing from our communities, and to build the coalitions to move legislation forward.
Moffatt: Rep. DelBene, thanks so much for your time. Thanks for doing this.
DelBene: Thank you.
