Democratic Candidates Break From Party Lines on Gaza, Borders, and Health Care

Democratic candidates are changing their policy positions on several major issues before the midterm elections.

The party is trying to win back both houses of Congress from Republicans. Since Donald Trump defeated Kamala Harris in 2024, internal divisions have grown. Establishment figures struggle to manage a rise in progressive populism. As a result, specific policy views often depend on the state or district where a candidate runs.

The most visible shift concerns Israel. More than 74,000 Palestinians have died in the war in Gaza since October 2023. A Pew Research Center survey from earlier this year found that 60 percent of US adults have an unfavorable view of Israel. That number reaches 80 percent among Democrats.

Senator Chris Coons of Delaware said he wants a thorough reexamination of the US-Israel relationship. He said he would consider sanctions on Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. This differs from the 2024 campaign, when Harris did not include a Palestinian American speaker at the Democratic National Convention. In the Senate, 40 Democrats supported a motion to disapprove military sales to Israel this year. Only seven sided with Republicans to block it. Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer maintains that US commitment to Israel’s security must be ironclad.

Candidates in tight races are also adjusting their stance on transgender rights. Most focus on students in school sports. Ohio Representative Marcy Kaptur ran an ad stating that boys should not play in girls' sports. North Carolina Representative Don Davis called for a safe and fair space for women and girls in sports. South Carolina Senate candidate Annie Andrews opposes biological men playing in women's sports. This follows a 2024 Trump ad that focused on Harris's support for transgender Americans. At a town hall in Portland, Maine, on Thursday, Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez told a transgender student that some in her party were wrong. She said she was ashamed that people scare so easily after an election.

Immigration has split the party as well. Customs and Border Protection recorded more than 8 million border encounters between 2021 and 2025. Texas Senate candidate James Talarico calls himself a border security Democrat. He supports stronger enforcement alongside comprehensive reform. Lucas Holtz of the moderate group Third Way said these stances work because they are proactive. On the left, the fatal shootings of Renee Good and Alex Pretti by federal agents in Minneapolis earlier this year have fueled calls to abolish or overhaul ICE.

Democrats also disagree on how to handle health care. Michigan Senate candidate Abdul El-Sayed supports Medicare for All. Andrews wants to restore lapsed Affordable Care Act subsidies and limit insurer profits. KFF polling shows 66 percent of US adults support Medicare for All. That is a 13 point increase from October 2020. Holtz said all Democrats want to move toward universal coverage in the best way possible.