Inside Senate Dems' summer warpath against Trump
Add Axios as your preferred source to
see more of our stories on Google.
Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer at the U.S. Capitol on July 22. Eric Lee/Bloomberg via Getty Images
Senate Democrats held more than 100 events railing against Republican policies in the first week of their summer recess, part of a coordinated push to drive down GOP approval ahead of the 2026 midterms.
Why it matters: Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) deployed similar tactics on the campaign trail last year, when his Democrats significantly outperformed the rest of the party in the general election.
- Schumer wants his caucus to localize the impact of policies Trump and the Republican Congress have embraced in Washington — specifically cuts to health care, tariffs, rising energy costs and tax cuts for the wealthy.
- The events have included town halls, hospital visits and huddles with small business owners, along with visits to food banks and to local businesses.
- Schumer blitzed upstate New York last week to start the recess and is continuing to travel the state this week.
The big picture: Democrats want to capitalize on the unpopularity of Trump's massive tax and spending cut bill, which is underwater with voters, according to polling.
- On Mediciad, Sen. Tammy Baldwin (D-Wisc.) said following an event in Door County last week that she is "taking this fight to every corner of our state."
- Sen. John Hickenlooper (D-Colo.) said last week following a roundtable in his state that Trump's tariff policies were "pulverizing" small businesses.
- Sen. Martin Heinrich (D-N.M.) warned that Trump's marquee tax cut bill is creating a "perfect storm" that will lead to higher electricity bills.
Between the lines: Democrats' chances in the 2026 midterms rest largely on whether they can effectively frame Trump and GOP policies as harmful, as they work to rebuild following significant losses in 2024.
- The hyper-local focus also gives Senate Democrats an opportunity to build a brand and reputation that is independent of the national Democratic Party, which remains deeply unpopular in recent polling.
- Party insiders attribute that strategy to the success last year of lawmakers like Baldwin and Sen. Jacky Rosen (D-Nev.), who won seats for Democrats in states that Trump carried.
Go deeper: Chuck Schumer's August battle plan
