It is 80 days until the 2026 midterm elections take place across the US. There’s been a lot of discussion about what the progressive wins against moderates around the country mean for America and the Democratic Party. I expect even more speculation and coverage as the general election approaches and the Democratic Party decides whether it will get behind these ‘democratic insurgents’ who have the potential to reinvigorate the Party.
Enthusiasm for democratic candidates is surging and predictions for the outcome of the 2026 election are now leaning towards the Democrats taking the majority in both the House and the Senate. However, these predictions are based on expectations that the midterm elections will be fairly conducted and free from federal interference.
But, there’s reason to believe that they won’t. Documents made public this week show how the federal government spied on individuals and groups that were opposing the ICE surge in Minnesota. Surveillance was widespread (including in New York City), and involved targeting community groups, non-profit organizations, and labor unions. Undercover agents infiltrated community meetings and signal chats of various activist organizations and community groups that were supporting mutual aid and tracked individuals from their license plates–even though they were not under investigation and had not been accused of any crimes. The scope and timing of these operations by Homeland Security are particularly troubling, since they expanded after Alex Pretti was killed while he was participating in peaceful witnessing of ICE agents.
It’s important to remember that federal agencies have been surveilling and investigating activists since at least the Civil Rights Movement. What is new, however, is the way these current efforts seem connected to plans by the federal government to limit participation in the midterm elections. President Trump has been talking about sending federal agents to polling locations since May. As the deployment of federal agents continues in cities across the US, and we continue to hear reports of American citizens and legal residents being detained by ICE, there’s no question that the 2026 elections are at risk.
Given the threat to our elections (and, thus, our democracy), numerous groups have been preparing to protect voters and voting sites from federal sabotage. I expect these efforts will grow in the coming months and all Americans need to be paying close attention to what comes next and prepare themselves. The 2026 elections are likely to be a prominent battle in the war to protect American Democracy.
Dana R Fisher 