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Pod Save America: DLCC Highlights Why 2026 Presents a Historic Opportunity Down-Ballot
Heather Williams joins Pod Save America host Jon Favreau to lay out the battleground states to watch this November and what’s at stake for our democracy
WASHINGTON — DLCC President Heather Williams sat down with Pod Save America to discuss the stakes of state legislative races in 2026, the remarkable candidates running, and how statehouses are safeguarding our elections. As November nears, the DLCC is all hands on deck to execute on our ambitious Target Map across 27 states and over 500 Target Races.
Listen to the full interview here, with some highlights below:
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“In 2026, we have real opportunities to create new majorities in our presidential battleground states – so think Minnesota, Wisconsin, Michigan, Arizona, Pennsylvania. These are the places that are going to have huge impacts on the 2028 presidential, and these are places where we can gain the majority in 2026. […] Winning just 19 seats in those states will build six new majorities and four new trifectas.”
- “The presidential certification process originates in our states, and that, alongside our voting laws and our election administration, are all state actions. So the more Democratic authorities we have, the better our elections are. […] The opportunities that we have to build that power this year will be immediately put to use to ensure that people’s votes are counted, they’re counted in real ways.”
- “That ability to really localize the national issues is really the art form of this ballot level. Everything is about their neighbor. And as much as we are a country divided, people still care a lot about their communities and their neighbors, and that is what separates things. […] We work hard to make sure that candidates across the country have some level of toolkits to run for office.”
- “If we don’t show up, if someone doesn’t show up, you can’t even compete, let alone win. […] You can’t divest in the state legislative races, because we do still have legislators [in red states], and those legislators, while maybe not in the majority, do still have some power to band together to bring some folks together on issues that matter a lot.”
- “We’ve got roughly a +4 environment that we’re seeing at our ballot level, it means that we could flip as many as 600 plus seats. There is a lot in play, and these races are often run on the margins. […] It’s going to be exciting.”
The Democratic Legislative Campaign Committee (DLCC) leads the national strategy to secure Democratic power in our state legislatures. We are the campaign arm for more than 3,000 state legislators and thousands of candidates across all 50 states who are advancing Democratic values and standing up to the dangerous MAGA agenda every single day. Over the last decade, our work has flipped 10 new chamber majorities. Those new majorities have ensured Democrats in state legislatures are positioned to protect our democracy and fundamental rights, while addressing the high cost of living and advancing opportunities. The DLCC’s national strategy and target map continue to pinpoint the most efficient paths to Democratic power across all 50 states.