‘Independent-minded’: DCCC chair reveals blueprint for winning back majority during 2026 midterms

The House Democrat who chairs the party’s campaign committee says she wants to “build on” the “things we did right” in the 2024 elections as she works to win back the chamber’s majority in the 2026 midterms.

While the party lost control of the White House and Republicans flipped the Senate majority while holding on to their fragile control of the House, Democrats were able to take a small bite out of the GOP congressional majority. 

Republicans will hold a razor-thin 220-215 majority in the next Congress, which means the Democrats only need a three-seat gain in the 2026 midterms to win back the chamber for the first time in four years.

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Republicans will hold a razor-thin 220-215 majority in the House of Representatives in the incoming Congress. (Fox News – Paul Steinhauser)

“We won in tough districts, outperformed across the country,” Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee chair Rep. Suzan DelBene of Washington state emphasized in a recent Fox News Digital interview.

DelBene, who is sticking around for a second straight tour of duty steering the party’s campaign committee, said the 2024 successes are “a good example of what we need to continue to follow heading into 2026.”

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“Number one, have great candidates who are independent minded, focused on the needs of their communities,” DelBene said. “Those candidates and their voices were critically important in this election.”

Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee chair Rep. Suzan DelBene is interviewed by Fox News Digital, on Dec. 12, 2024, in Washington, D.C.  (Fox News – Paul Steinhauser)

DelBene said “making sure that they [the candidates] have the resources they need to get information out to voters and to continue to address head on the issues that are most important to their communities, lowering costs, making sure there’s economic opportunity” are also top priorities.

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With President-elect Trump returning to the White House next month, and the GOP in control of both chambers of Congress, DelBene said Republicans are “going to be accountable for what they do in this country and the impact that has on working families”

“We’re going to hold them accountable for their votes and the actions they take, especially if they aren’t supporting working families,” she emphasized. “I think people want to see governance work. So, if Republicans aren’t willing to work in a bipartisan way to get things done, that’s going to be a key part of the 2026 election as well.”

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The party in power traditionally takes a gut punch in the ensuing congressional election, which means the Democrats will have historical winds at their backs. 

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Looking to the 2026 map, DelBene touted that Democrats will have “opportunities across the country.”

And she said it’s the DCCC’s job to “reach voters where they are and make sure they’re getting accurate information about where our candidates stand.”

Fox News’ Emma Woodhead contributed to this report