A long-ago political science professor of mine liked to slot national elections into two categories: There were Referendum Elections, and there were Choice Elections. As we pass President Donald Trump’s first 100 days, it’s a good frame for understanding the 2026 midterms.
- What those labels mean is fairly obvious, but just in case: The former are all about what voters think about the incumbent (usually the current president’s record, even though he’s technically not on the ballot). The latter are about picking between Republicans and Democrats.
There’s been something of a boom recently in Democrats trying to define what the party is, or should be about – think Sen. Cory Booker’s long floor speech, Sen. Chris Van Hollen’s trip to El Salvador, Gov. JB Pritzker’s fiery speech in New Hampshire, Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez’s team-up tour with Sen. Bernie Sanders (technically an independent when he’s not running for president), former Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg courting the “manosphere,” etc.
But one voice – one frustrated yet hopeful voice – that caught my ear is Rep. Tom Suozzi from New York’s 3rd District, who says (not in so many words) that Democrats have to clean up their act and get back to basics. I caught up with Suozzi this week on the sidelines of a Decision Points breakfast, part of a series of regular events where we encourage a lively discussion among elected officials and professionals from various fields, as well as think-tankers.
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