While some may say the Democrats have dug their own hole and are rightfully seen as the weaker party—most Americans understand a vital fact— in our dominant two-party system, electing Democrats is the single best hope to shatter Trump’s oppressive command of our nation’s judicial due process, civil rights, and protection of our most vulnerable citizens.
If Democrats are seeking another “blue wave” in the upcoming midterms when every seat in the House and more than a third of the U.S. Senate seats are up for reelection—they have their hands full.
Dems have been doing well in special elections and they’re generating slivers of hope for the party next year.
But despite this, as well as Trump’s declining approval rating, Democrats are not winning any popularity contests with some voters either.
Adding to the angst of Democratic party leaders was the loss of some of much of the young vote as well as Latino’s and Asian Americans who trended right in 2024.
Still the Dems are holding on with help from the tens of thousands of Americans (many Republican) showing up at protests like the “No Kings” marches that took place nation-wide a few weeks ago, private citizens who are actively organizing and protesting via video-taped ICE raids, attending GOP town hall meetings in order to call out and boo their representatives and growing numbers of Republicans are engaging in opposition to Trump through online social media posts.
Most who do actively engage, see the Trump administration as going way too far in violating the Constitution and edging even closer to a full authoritarian regimen.
With growing arrests and the deportation of “good people” (even some U.S. citizens caught up in raids as “errors”)—immigrants who have become our neighbors, living, working and paying taxes in the U.S. for decades have motivated many former Trump Republicans GOP to disdain, and even outrage at Trump’s extreme policies.
DOGE cuts to vital departments, safety concerns over deregulation and attacking the nation’s long standing safety nets for America’s most weak and vulnerable citizens—the elderly, disabled, veterans, these are the issues pushing the new opposition to back Democrats in the midterms. For Trump, losing the midterms would be the apocalypse.
Many of the angry voters calling for new leadership ahead of the midterms, actually voted for Trump and regret it now.
The midterm stakes couldn’t be higher for America—but for Trump, losing would be the apocalypse.
In traditional Trump fashion, the growing opposition from those on the Republican side who likely voted for him has been met with Trump’s head on, very personal warnings and his vengeance like promise to make them pay for their disloyalty.
The Trump mission is crystal clear—demonize all Democrats as unpatriotic, ungodly agitators, and even “terrorists”—it matters little to Trump that he is referring to law-abiding American citizens, or elected Democratic House and Senate members who simply have a different political ideology as Trump—these individuals are being arrested for doing their constitutionally protected jobs,
Democratic leaders have become Trump’s focused targets.
The Trump Justice Department has been authorized to criminally investigate officials (in Democratic specific districts) who are seen as “resisting” even though in most cases, these officials are merely showing up to observe ICE immigration enforcement in their own districts.
In a memo issued on Jan. 22, 2025, the DOJ—acting under Trump’s direction—ordered federal prosecutors to investigate state and local officials in Democratic-led jurisdictions who were “perceived” as obstructing immigration raids. It warned that such officials would face charges of harboring immigrants or defrauding the U.S. and stark example of how the Trump administration has ramped up its assault on Democrats beyond operations and entering legal and prosecutorial arenas—continuing the theme of relentless targeting.
There’s growing concern among immigrant communities and organizers in major Democratic-led cities such as Los Angeles, Chicago and New York where the Trump administration has directed and intensified ICE operations. The raids are seen as politically motivated and specifically aimed at punishing sanctuary cities and Democratic policies on immigration. Fear among these cities is instilled as the political calculation is targeting blue states.
Finally, the Mayor of Los Angeles has accused the Trump administration of using the city as a “test case” for extreme federal crackdowns, including deploying the National Guard and increasing shocking immigration raids in places like Home Depot and even workers on farms toiling crops.
Local officials state they are being targeted specifically for their progressive, pro-immigrant stance. The escalating tensions are portrayed as part of a broader effort by the Trump administration to criminalize all Democratic governance.
And the demonizing of Democrats is just getting started.
Recently, several arrests of political leaders were ordered by the Trump administration—once again, these were officials who were exercising jurisdictional oversight in the deportation of immigrants in their own districts. They were all Democrats and were quickly labeled as instigators, even criminals. The Trump administration is ratcheting up the portrayal of Democratic leaders as law breakers.
Elected officials from the Democratic Party are also being harassed online by MAGA trolls and recently, two Democratic elected officials were slain in their homes by the political right-wing extremist Minnesota assassination suspect, Vance Boelter who allegedly listed dozens of Democrats on a kill list he had in his car.
Sen. Mark Kelly of Arizona, a Navy Veteran, has often been targeted online, reportedly called a “traitor” by Elon Musk and harassed by MAGA trolls through various social media posts—many believe Kelly is a target because he is a highly respected and well-liked Democratic Senator who’s not afraid to speak out against the Trump administration.
The Arizona Senator pushed back and reportedly said of the “traitor” remark by Musk,
“I’ve spent an entire career standing up for our country, defending our country, flying in combat over Iraq, flying in space, on the space shuttle, serving in the United States Senate.” “My entire life has been about serving this country.”
Kelly, who is also a former astronaut, told CNN that Musk was aligning himself with “a bunch of billionaires” with values that were “much closer to Russia.”
Kelly then contrasted his record to Musk’s efforts as the leader of the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) to push federal workers out of their jobs and shutter long-standing federal agencies, such as the U.S. Agency for International Development.
Kelly is not afraid to tell Arizonans the truth about Trump.
A recent opinion piece published in The Arizona Republic, described the unpredictability of Trump beginning with the surprise order to engage in a bombing campaign in Iran with an objective to infiltrate and obliterate Iran’s nuclear bomb capabilities— then Trump quickly announced a cease fire between Iran and Israel, then Trump criticized Israel for violating the cease fire and warned Iran to honor the ceasefire, and finally Trump reports to America that the cease fire is back on, “No wonder the elected officials who are supposed to have a hand in such dangerously monumental decisions — like Arizona Sen. Mark Kelly — are feeling disregarded, disrespected, irrelevant and impotent,” the opinion states.
According to an NPR Kelly said, “This administration operates outside of any norms frequently. So I’m not surprised that this is the way that they conducted themselves. There’s probably not a lot we can do …”
It’s suggested that Sen. Kelly was not talking about Iran when he stated “not a lot we can do”—but rather he was talking about Trump.
Many Americans hope the midterms will finally address that notion.
