Democrats have momentum with midterms. Don't mess it up. | Opinion

November midterm elections are fast approaching, and Democratic candidates are set up to succeed. Whether they follow through is up to them.

On March 24, Democrat Emily Gregory won a state House special election in a Florida district that includes the Mar-a-Lago resort. Her competitor, Republican Jon Maples, had received President Donald Trump’s “COMPLETE AND TOTAL ENDORSEMENT.” It was an important win in a series of triumphs for the Democratic Party.

It makes sense – people are deeply unhappy with Trump and the Republicans allowing him complete control of the United States. Trump’s approval rating is hitting record lows, thanks to the war in Iran, the militarization of Immigration and Customs Enforcement and a struggling economy. There is a window of opportunity that Democrats must seize – yet it still isn’t clear that they’re up to the challenge.

As voters cast their ballots in primary elections across the country, Democratic candidates need to keep in mind that their wins in these elections mean nothing if they don’t carry that momentum into the midterms come November.

Let's recap some Democratic wins and opportunities

Democrats have been having great turnout in the primary elections, and energy is up.

There are also some elections where polling shows the Democratic Party could have some wins:

• In Maine, Graham Platner and Gov. Janet Mills are leading incumbent Republican Sen. Susan Collins.
• In North Carolina's race for the U.S. Senate, there’s a strong chance that former Democratic Gov. Roy Cooper defeats former Republican National Committee Chair Michael Whatley.
• In Texas, Democratic state legislator James Talarico is leading both Republican options for the U.S. Senate.

Republicans are also weak at the moment. Several incumbents have had their races head to runoffs – some have even lost, albeit to more Trump-aligned candidates. The GOP has clearly been weakened by Trump’s totalitarian takeover of our government.

Despite these wins, support for Democrats is still subpar. The party had a 30% approval rating among registered voters in a recent poll by NBC News, which is hardly something to celebrate. Yet 50% of the respondents also said they would prefer Democrats to control Congress after the midterms.

While the poll doesn't ask why voters feel this way, I assume it's because they need more fight and stronger messaging that they can, in fact, reverse some of the decisions that Trump has made while in office. Right now, congressional Democrats are stuck and it shows. They need to make it clear that they have a plan in place for the next two years to ensure that things don't get worse in this country.

Clearly, Democrats have their work cut out for them.

What Democrats should do between now and midterms

There are also outside factors Democrats will have to contend with. As we’ve seen in the primaries, political action committees can heavily influence the outcome of elections.

The party will also have to oppose the artificial intelligence and cryptocurrency industries pouring millions into candidates who will support their efforts. There’s also the American Israel Public Affairs Committee, which has been throwing money into primaries against candidates who have been outspoken against Israel’s actions against the Palestinian people in Gaza. Democrats should be wary of these outside forces and choose careful messaging on these issues.

Speaking of messaging, it’s clear that the economy and affordability are one of Trump’s weakest spots right now – and an area where Democrats could have an advantage. As evidenced by the primary campaigns we’ve seen so far, this is a winning message for Democrats, no matter where they are in the country.

Democrats have some momentum, and they should use everything in their arsenal to go into the midterms as strongly as possible. Whether they rise to the occasion is yet to be seen.

Follow USA TODAY columnist Sara Pequeño on Bluesky: @sarapequeno.bsky.social