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

The Democratic Party is redefining its core message for the upcoming midterm elections. With Republicans holding the White House and Congress, candidates are adjusting their positions on Israel, immigration, transgender sports, and health care. Some are moving left, while others are aligning with moderate views to win back control of either chamber.

These shifts follow Donald Trump's victory over Kamala Harris in 2024. Since then, internal party divisions have widened. Establishment figures and moderates are struggling to manage a rising wave of progressive populism. As a result, policy stances now vary significantly by district and state.

The debate over Israel is the most visible split. More than 74,000 Palestinians have died in Gaza since the war began after the October 7, 2023, Hamas attacks. A Pew Research Center survey from earlier this year found that 60 percent of US adults view Israel unfavorably. That figure rises to 80 percent among Democrats. Senator Chris Coons of Delaware, who may chair the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, said he wants a thorough reexamination of the US-Israel relationship. He noted he would consider sanctions on Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. In 2024, the Harris campaign declined requests to include a Palestinian American speaker at the Democratic National Convention. This year, 40 Democratic senators supported a motion to disapprove military sales to Israel, while only seven joined Republicans in blocking it. Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, who may become majority leader, stated the US commitment to Israel's security must remain ironclad.

Candidates in competitive races are also reworking their language on transgender rights. Many have softened or rejected support, particularly regarding students in school sports. Ohio Representative Marcy Kaptur ran an ad stating, "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. South Carolina Senate candidate Annie Andrews said she opposes biological men playing in women's sports. These moves follow a 2024 Trump campaign ad that highlighted Harris's support for transgender Americans. However, not all Democrats agree with this retreat. At a town hall in Portland, Maine, on Thursday, Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez told a transgender student who felt abandoned that some in her party were wrong. She expressed shame that people scare so easily after an election, arguing that compromising trans rights compromises the rights of every citizen.

Immigration policy has also fractured the group. Customs and Border Protection recorded more than 8 million border encounters between 2021 and 2025. Texas Senate candidate James Talarico calls himself a border security Democrat. He 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, calls to abolish or drastically overhaul ICE have grown after federal agents fatally shot US citizens Renee Good and Alex Pretti in Minneapolis earlier this year.

Health care remains a point of agreement on the need for government involvement, but candidates disagree on the method. Michigan Senate candidate Abdul El-Sayed supports Medicare for All. Andrews, running in a more conservative state, wants to restore lapsed Affordable Care Act subsidies and limit insurer profits. KFF polling shows 66 percent of US adults now back Medicare for All, up 13 points from October 2020. Holtz said all Democrats want to move toward universal coverage in the best way possible.