It's not a binary issue. Elections have been getting more and more compromised for decades. 2026 will be even more compromised. They will not be entirely compromised, and we have to keep working from the assumption that they won't be unwinnable, even while preparing for the possibility that we might not win them.

Honestly, I fear that Democrats are more responsible for hurting their chances than Republicans. Even as bad as things have gotten, the Democratic establishment has continued to dig in and refuse to give any ground whatsoever to progressives. It's becoming a real mask-off moment for a lot of rank and file liberals.

States are responsible for elections, not the feds

But that point of contention is too important. Dems need to take the house in order to build the narrative that precedes the unrest. It's going to be a lot harder to send that message if they appear too unpopular to do that.