Exclusive: Schumer-linked PAC tells Dems they're "winning" shutdown fight
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 Oct. 3. Photo: Graeme Sloan/Bloomberg via Getty Images
A super PAC linked to Chuck Schumer is telling allies that it would be a "mistake to take the pressure off Republicans" because Democrats are winning the political fight over the government shutdown, according to a memo obtained by Axios.
Why it matters: The Senate minority leader's top allies see the shutdown as a critical opportunity to define the stakes of the 2026 midterms, which they think will be dominated by health care and rising prices.
- The internal message: Don't flinch.
- Senate Majority PAC, a top group supporting Schumer's Democrats, circulated the memo along with polling Tuesday that shows likely 2026 voters blame Republicans for a shutdown — and back Democrats' focus on health care.
- The Schumer-linked group said that as long as Democrats keep the fight about protecting affordable health care, they're winning both the politics and policy aspects of the public messaging campaign.
By the numbers: The new Hart Research poll for SMP finds:
- Who's to blame: 52% of likely 2026 voters blame President Trump and congressional Republicans for the shutdown. 40% blame Democrats.
- What matters more: 62% say preventing major health insurance premium hikes is more important than ending the shutdown quickly. Among centrist voters, it's 64%.
- Health care as a priority: A majority of voters call stopping "big increases" in health insurance costs an essential priority in resolving the shutdown.
The other side: Republicans insist that Democrats' shutdown strategy will backfire, with Trump on Thursday likening it to a "kamikaze attack."
What they're saying: JB Poersch, SMP's president and a close Schumer ally, said in the memo that the party's "fight over health care priorities is a fight worth having."
- Poersch said that voters in the center — a critical block for Democrats trying to win back the Senate — are breaking hard against Republicans over the shutdown.
- Democratic senators were briefed on the polling over the weekend, and that the PAC's outreach effort is ongoing, according to a source familiar with the matter.
- Voters clearly see who's responsible for this crisis," said Lauren French, Senate Majority PAC spokesperson. "Donald Trump and Senate Republicans are holding the government hostage instead of protecting families from skyrocketing health care costs."
Between the lines: The memo warns Democrats not to yield on their health care demands or accept vague GOP "promises of talks later."
- "By staying unified and holding firm, Democrats are reinforcing a winning contrast: Democrats fighting for affordable health care and economic security as Republicans are pushing policies that defend chaos, increase prices, and take away health care," Poersch said in the memo.
The Hart Research survey of 1,242 voters who say they are likely to vote or might vote in the 2026 midterm election was conducted Oct. 2-.3. It has a margin of error of plus-or-minus three percentage points.
