Democrats are overperforming former Vice President Kamala Harris' 2024 margin in special elections across the United States.
Democratic National Committee (DNC) Chair Ken Martin told Newsweek the party is "committed to building infrastructure and power across the country and that starts with these critical November elections."
Kiersten Pels, a Republican National Committee spokesperson, told Newsweek that Democrats are "more unpopular today than they have been in over 30 years."
Why It Matters
Democrats are hoping to retake control of the House of Representatives and Senate in the 2026 midterm elections and are increasingly optimistic about the chances of a 2018-style "blue wave" fueled by President Donald Trump's diminishing approval rating.
Special election results, some of which have seen Democrats overperform Harris by 50 points or more, are fueling this optimism. Although special elections are not necessarily predictive of how the midterms will go, Democrats see these results as showing a highly motivated base amid Trump's second term in office.
What to Know
Tuesday night delivered Democrats their latest overperformance in Virginia's 11th Congressional District. Democrat James Walkinshaw won the special election to replace the late Congressman Gerry Connolly by roughly a 50-point margin in the Fairfax County-based district.