While most of the national attention will be on the battle to control Congress, it is essential that the Democratic Party recognize the importance of state-level races as well. Democratic governors in Michigan, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin are facing tough reelection fights, while in Georgia, Stacey Abrams is once again running for governor in a highly competitive election. All four of these states have Republican legislatures, so a Democratic governor can push back against troubling GOP policies at the state level and, very significantly, help ensure the 2024 election is as free and fair as possible.

Although Trump is not on the 2022 ballot, given that he is the strong frontrunner for the 2024 Republican presidential nomination, he will be a political presence during the midterms. Democratic politicians need to find a way to remind voters of what they dislike so much about Trump and the very real threat to democracy that he and his GOP supporters pose without seeming like they are obsessed with Trump and have no original ideas of their own.

The key here is to remind voters of Democratic successes and goals while also asking them if they really want to go back to the chaos, dysfunction and bullying of the Trump era.