WelcomePAC Urges Centrism as GOP Fractures Grow

A centrist Democratic postmortem from WelcomePAC titled "Deciding to Win" argues Democrats lost in 2024 by emphasizing divisive issues (climate, immigration, trans rights) over kitchen‑table concerns and urges a shift to more moderate candidates and positions. Critics say the report cherry‑picks data and misunderstands how inattentive voters form impressions. At the same time, President Trump’s leverage with some Senate Republicans appears to be waning after a bipartisan rebuke of his national‑emergency tariff on Brazilian imports, with senators including Rand Paul, Mitch McConnell, Thom Tillis, Susan Collins and Lisa Murkowski opposing the move. Trump, worried about the 2026 midterms, has rescinded Biden‑era voting‑access executive orders, ordered Justice Department scrutiny of fundraising platform ActBlue, and pushed limits on mail‑in voting as part of efforts to preserve Republican control of Congress. Conservative commentators argue Democrats are politically tone‑deaf for focusing on symbolic fights such as White House renovations rather than voters’ concerns about the economy and safety, underscoring intraparty debates among Democrats and fractures within the GOP that could shape control of Congress.