Corruption and Costs: Democrats’ Final Midterm Strategy Revealed

What many Americans consider an emergency, Democrats see as an opportunity. Poll after poll shows Americans widely believe the country is in the midst of an affordability crisis. With the price of diesel soaring and grocery prices remaining high, is the negative view of the economy really all that surprising? To make matters worse, a record-high 89% of US adults say government corruption is widespread, according to Gallup. Taxpayer-funded fraud is running rampant, costing Americans billions of dollars. But if you’re a Democrat running for Congress this year, the affordability and corruption crises are political gifts.

Democrats saw a roughly three-percentage-point boost in support for left-wing congressional candidates when they linked corruption to everyday concerns such as health care, housing, and the cost of living, according to a survey obtained by Politico.

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Democratic strategist Jesse Ferguson recently provided left-wing groups with a simple plan: just explain that “corruption is why your costs are high.” His presentation advised against making President Donald Trump the sole focus of attacks, and instead suggested acknowledging that corruption happens on both sides of the aisle. “Trump works as an example of corruption that raises costs, not as the whole case,” the presentation said.

The midterm elections are just three weeks away, with several razor-thin races poised to determine which party controls Congress. Even a few percentage points could make or break a candidate’s chances - and Democrats are clearly hoping to gain that edge by not-so-subtly pinning the affordability crisis on alleged corruption linked to Trump, his administration, and his allies. Whether it’s true or not doesn’t really matter; the trouble for the GOP is that the strategy just might work.

Corruption and Affordability: A Winning Strategy?

Just look at Iowa. In 2024, Trump won the Hawkeye State in a landslide, topping his opponent by more than 13 percentage points. But just two years later, the deep-red state is moving left, leading to a surprising toss-up rating for the state’s Senate race between GOP Rep. Ashley Hinson and Democrat state Rep. Josh Turek, according to the Cook Political Report.

What’s driving the shift? Well, according to a recent CNN/SSRS poll, 41% of likely voters in the state say their personal financial situations have worsened since the time Trump returned to the White House. In fact, the same survey found a majority of likely Iowa voters actually blame the president’s administration for the affordability crisis.

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Turek’s team is doing everything it can to capitalize on voters’ growing frustration with the cost of living and Washington, DC, insiders. “We have a corruption crisis in this country, and it is leading to an affordability crisis,” Turek said during his debate against Hinson last week. He went on to claim that Hinson had become “up to 15 times more wealthy” since entering Congress, a charge she called a lie, and accused her of backing health care cuts “to give tax breaks to billionaires.” He must’ve seen Ferguson’s plan.

A Reality Check

Democrats may be eager to make corruption a Republican problem, but their own party has no shortage of scandals. Take Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz (D), who abandoned his reelection bid after widespread fraud involving taxpayer dollars came to light in his state. “The overwhelming majority of Minnesotans blame the Walz-Flanagan administration — and the criminals it aided and abetted - for plundering their hard-earned taxpayer dollars,” explained National Republican Senatorial Committee spokesperson Bernadette Breslin.

And who could forget former US Sen. Bob Menendez (D-NJ), who was sentenced to 11 years in prison for bribery, wire fraud, extortion, obstruction of justice, and acting as an unregistered agent of Egypt? The man accepted hundreds of thousands of dollars in cash and gold bars. Was he auditioning to be the next Bond villain?

Or consider California Gov. Gavin Newsom’s (D) former chief of staff Dana Williamson, who pleaded guilty earlier this year to conspiracy to commit fraud, filing a false tax return, and making false statements. Williamson claimed nearly mor than $1.7 million in personal expenses as business deductions on her taxes, and conspired to steal almost a quarter of a million dollars in campaign funds.

And then there’s former US Rep. Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick (D-FL), who was indicted last year on charges of stealing and laundering roughly $5 million in FEMA COVID-19-related payments.

Democrats attempting to project their own party’s corruption problem onto the GOP would be laughable if it weren’t an effective campaign strategy. Unfortunately, many struggling Americans are vulnerable to this kind of manipulation, especially when they’re understandably desperate for relief from the rising cost of living. Many are just looking to hold someone accountable, and Democrats know that Republicans, as the party in power, are an easy target.