Story thread · 2 reports / 2 sources

"Washington is broken": Democrats running for office turn sharply against their own party

axios.com · 21h · first reportShare

Democrats are adopting a drastically more negative tone toward their own party in the 2026 midterm elections , swapping promises of bipartisan collaboration with vows to "take on corruption in both parties." Why it matters: This surge in political friendly fire reflects the extraordinary level of anger candidates are seeing from their voters toward the Democratic Party and the national political establishment . Sam Forstag, a House candidate in Montana, told Axios in an interview that "a whole lot of my coworkers got a sour look on their face" when he revealed he was running as a Democrat. "We have heard pretty loud and clear, whether it's at our town halls or on parade routes, that ... there's just a growing frustration with both political parties," said Jake Johnson, a Democratic candidate in Minnesota. Data: AdImpact; Note: Party totals include independents running as the de facto nominee; Chart: Andrew Solender/Axios By the numbers: An Axios analysis of more than 350 ads in federal