Democrats’ playbook to beat Republicans: work with them now

(WASHINGTON) -- Democrats have a plan to take back power in Washington back from Republicans in two years: work with them now.

Democrats, who are already planning their comeback after being swept out of power in Washington last month, have said they'll oppose President-elect Donald Trump and his allies when their values collide but are open to cooperation on a range of issues, including immigration, federal spending and entitlements.

The strategy marks a turnaround from 2017, when "resistance" to Trump was Democrats' rallying cry. But, some lawmakers and operatives said, it also marks a challenge to Republicans for bipartisanship at a time when narrow GOP congressional majorities will likely mandate some level of cooperation.

"People want to see government work, and we're going to hold Republicans accountable for whether they're willing to help move things forward for the American people. So, if they aren't, then absolutely, that will impact them at the ballot box," said Rep. Suzan DelBene, D-Wash., who led House Democrats' campaign arm this year and will do so again for the 2026 midterms.

"I think we are telling them that we're here to govern," DelBene added. "And I guess the question is, are they serious about governing?"

Republicans are cobbling together an aggressive agenda that would extend Trump-era tax cuts, implement strict border measures and more once they take office next month. The efforts will either be split into two measures or combined into one -- but Republicans' intention is to pass them in a way that wouldn't need to meet the 60-vote Senate filibuster rule.

However, for the rest of the upcoming 119th Congress, Republicans will have a 220-215 House majority, once vacancies are filled and barring any absences, and only 53 seats in the Senate, short of the 60 needed to unilaterally pass most legislation.

Democrats have already proposed potential areas of cooperation, even as they lick their wounds from a disappointing election and view Trump as anathema to many of their core beliefs.

"To win in 2026 and beyond, Democrats must focus on building an economic message centered on good-paying jobs and revitalizing manufacturing," California Rep. Ro Khanna said. "But we have a responsibility now to try and find areas of common ground where we can deliver for Americans. I believe that starts with reducing the Pentagon's oversized defense budget while strongly opposing any cuts to programs like Social Security, Medicare, and Medicaid."

"We are very open to working with the Trump administration," added Kansas Gov. Laura Kelly, the Democratic Governors Association chair. "But no doubt if there are things that they push us to do that that we think are wrong, legal, anything like that, we’ll draw the line."

That attitude will leave Democrats, especially in purple states and districts, with some leverage -- either to shape legislation, as they say they plan, or to hammer Republicans as obstinate, operatives said.

It's very possible battleground Democrats are at times taken up on offers for bipartisanship or are made themselves to accept offers. Both chambers have their share of moderate Republicans, too, including Reps. Mike Lawler New York and David Valadao of California, and Sens. Susan Collins of Maine and Lisa Murkowski of Alaska.

But each chamber also boasts some Republican hardliners who view bipartisanship as a four-letter word and a sign that a piece of legislation isn't conservative enough.

"This is how these battleground Democrats are anyway, but I think it will manifest itself in, 'Take me up on this offer, let's go.' And if you don't, then, 'OK, I can work with that, too,'" said one Democratic strategist working on House races. "I think for a battleground Democrat, it's a win-win approach. You have the possibility of working on a bill and a law which you can say, 'I delivered,' or you create receipts to bring back to voters to say, 'I kept on trying.'"

However, some Democrats warned, the party must balance cooperation, even if just offering it, with attacks.

The base still finds Trump -- and Republicans in Congress with similar brands -- abhorrent, and the results in 2026 will be largely fueled by voter attitudes about the GOP's control in Washington.

In 2018, Democrats took back the House in a wave largely fueled among their voters by antipathy for Trump. Capitalizing on that frustration could be key again, strategists told ABC News.

"The opportunity to work in a bipartisan way, to increase your own bipartisan credentials becomes very important," said Dan Sena, the executive director of House Democrats' campaign arm in 2018. "I just think it's important at large for the caucus to pay attention to the fact that ultimately, in two years from now, the Republican trifecta is going to get a thumb up or a thumb down from the country, and that's ultimately going to dictate who has control of House."

"If I were the Democrats at large," Sena added, "I would be pretty aggressive in holding the Republicans and then the Trump administration accountable."

Still, nearly all Democrats agreed that the party should wage a two-pronged strategy, including both cooperation and criticism, and that each will go hand in hand when Democrats find themselves either in congressional majorities next month or having to deal with a Republican president even as they lead their states as governors.

"I think this openness to working with them is less that you are going to see actual collaboration, I think it's that people are trying to set themselves up to have some credibility in other spaces to be against stuff that they're doing," said one former Democratic House aide. "It carries more weight and legitimacy if you're someone who's open minded to working with them, and then they take a hard right and you speak out."

Either way, Democrats are ready to pounce heading into 2026, when both chambers of Congress and 36 governorships will be up for grabs.

"In politics, it's always the right move to extend a hand," said Jared Leopold, a Democratic strategist and former DGA staffer. "And if somebody chooses to slap you in the face instead, you better make sure you catch it on camera."

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