Project 2026

A New Strategic Plan for the Democratic Party

Reclaiming Our Vision: Project 2026

For too long, the Democratic Party has operated without a cohesive strategy, reacting to Republican narratives rather than proactively defining our own. We've become a coalition of special interests without a unifying message that resonates with everyday Americans.

Project 2026 represents a bold experiment: leveraging artificial intelligence to help identify patterns, analyze feedback from diverse constituencies, and craft a more coherent policy platform. By processing vast amounts of information from voting patterns, demographic trends, and historical policy outcomes, AI has helped us see beyond our echo chambers and identify blind spots in our messaging.

This isn't about abandoning our core values—it's about communicating them more effectively. It's about finding common ground between progressive ideals and pragmatic solutions that improve people's lives. It's about recognizing that Americans want a party that fights for both economic opportunity and personal freedom, for both innovation and stability.

The proposals outlined here aren't final pronouncements but starting points for a broader conversation about who we are and what we stand for. Some may seem controversial within our traditional base, but each is designed to build bridges to voters who have felt alienated by our rhetoric while staying true to democratic principles.

Together, we can build a Democratic Party that speaks to America's hopes rather than its fears—a party ready to lead in an era of unprecedented technological and social change. Project 2026 isn't just about winning elections; it's about governing effectively in the complex reality of 21st century America.

Let's get to work.

Quick Contrasts with Republicans

Global Conflicts
Republican Position Democratic
Befriending Russia while berating Ukraine.
Republican policies have increasingly favored a non-interventionist approach with Russia despite its aggression. Their position includes skepticism toward Ukraine aid packages and NATO funding obligations. Some Republican voices have openly praised Putin's leadership style while questioning Ukraine's democratic legitimacy. This approach undermines decades of bipartisan foreign policy consensus on containing Russian expansion.
Support Ukraine w/money & weapons.
Democrats remain committed to funding Ukraine's defense through weapons systems, intelligence sharing, and economic aid packages. This position maintains the post-WWII international order that prevents powerful countries from annexing their neighbors. Democrats recognize that containing Russian aggression now prevents more costly confrontations later. A strong stance against Russia also reinforces NATO alliance stability and American leadership.
Global Alliances
Republican Position Democratic
America First.
The "America First" doctrine prioritizes nationalism over multilateralism in all international dealings. This approach often involves criticism of international organizations like the UN, WHO, and NATO as constraints on American sovereignty. Republicans increasingly favor bilateral deals that visibly benefit American interests over complex multilateral arrangements. This position often leads to unpredictable foreign policy shifts that weaken long-standing diplomatic relationships.
America 1st and democracy over autocracy & communism. Empower North America, grow Central and South America.
Democrats champion American leadership while strengthening democratic alliances globally against authoritarian regimes. This approach involves deepening economic integration within North America while investing in stable democracy throughout Latin America. Democrats recognize that prosperous, stable neighbors reduce migration pressures and create export markets for American goods. This regional focus creates a democratic counterweight to China's expanding global influence.
Global Expansion
Republican Position Democratic
Take over Canada, Greenland, Panama Canal.
Some Republican figures have floated unrealistic proposals about territorial expansion, including annexing Greenland and reclaiming the Panama Canal. These statements reflect a nostalgic view of American imperialism that ignores modern geopolitical realities. Such rhetoric damages relationships with key allies and trading partners while creating diplomatic incidents. These positions demonstrate a concerning disregard for international law and sovereignty principles.
This is nonsensical. Republicans can't focus on the real priorities.
Democrats reject territorial expansionism as a distraction from genuine national security challenges like climate change and cyber threats. Democrats focus on building partnerships rather than pursuing outdated colonial ambitions. Cooperative rather than coercive relationships with neighbors create more sustainable security benefits. Democrats recognize that in a connected world, influence comes through economic and cultural soft power, not territorial control.
Power of Federal vs. State
Republican Position Democratic
Push funding to the states and defund federal.
Republicans consistently advocate slashing federal programs while sending block grants to states with minimal oversight. This approach creates a patchwork of inconsistent standards and services across states. Lower-income states often lack resources to replace cut federal programs, increasing inequality. This position is often selective, with federal authority still invoked for Republican priorities like abortion restrictions.
Offer states more flexibility in execution, with federal role as support, not control.
Democrats recognize the value of federalism while maintaining essential national standards and support. This balanced approach allows states to innovate within frameworks that guarantee basic rights and services to all Americans. Federal resources remain available to support states facing economic challenges or natural disasters. Democrats champion effective partnerships between levels of government rather than adversarial relationships.
Federal Agency Leadership
Republican Position Democratic
Hire friends and billionaires with selfish interests and sycophant loyalty, and questionable competence.
Republican administrations increasingly appoint officials based on personal loyalty and ideological alignment rather than relevant expertise. Many appointees come from industries they're tasked with regulating, creating obvious conflicts of interest. These officials often lack basic understanding of the agencies they lead, hampering effective governance. This approach prioritizes dismantling regulations over effective public service.
Hire experienced leaders (meritocracy).
Democrats prioritize relevant expertise, professional qualifications, and domain knowledge when appointing agency leaders. Agency effectiveness improves when leaders understand the mission, laws, and technical aspects of their departments. Meritocratic appointments create more stable, professional government services regardless of which party holds power. Experienced leadership also reduces costly errors and implementation failures in critical programs.
DOGE
Republican Position Democratic
DOGE is cutting agencies, programs and people without due diligence.
The Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) approach involves sweeping cuts without thorough analysis of consequences or alternatives. These cuts often target agencies based on ideological objections rather than performance metrics. The approach risks eliminating valuable programs with high returns on investment for taxpayers. Such hasty restructuring creates institutional chaos that actually reduces government efficiency.
DOGE Lite: offer rotating 6-month advisory programs, with no budget control, mandatory conflict-of-interest recusals, and transparent recommendations.
Democrats advocate for smart government reform through expert advisory panels with strict ethical guidelines. This approach leverages outside expertise while maintaining democratic accountability and transparency. Regular rotation prevents capture by special interests and brings fresh perspectives to longstanding issues. Recommendations are subject to public debate and legislative approval rather than unilateral implementation.
Responsible Communication
Republican Position Democratic
Insult anyone who doesn't agree with you.
Republican rhetoric increasingly relies on personal attacks and degrading language toward political opponents and critics. This approach prioritizes emotional engagement over substantive policy discussion, polarizing the electorate. Such communication style sets a harmful example for political discourse and public behavior. This antagonistic approach makes compromise and bipartisan solutions nearly impossible.
Stop the cancel culture, word-policing & whining. Lead with clear vision.
Democrats are shifting toward more direct, accessible communication focused on practical solutions rather than ideological purity tests. This approach acknowledges legitimate disagreements while focusing on shared goals and common ground. Respectful but straightforward communication builds broader coalitions across demographic and ideological lines. Substantive leadership focused on vision and results resonates more with voters than moral posturing.
Free Speech
Republican Position Democratic
Criminalize pornography, "Don't Say Gay" bill, punishing dissent like the protesting of gun violence.
Despite rhetoric about free speech, Republican policies often restrict expression on issues like LGBTQ+ identities, racial history, and political protest. School libraries face unprecedented book bans targeting works that discuss sexuality or racial issues. Speech protections are selectively applied, favoring corporate and conservative speech while restricting progressive expression. Many Republican-led states criminalize certain forms of protest while expanding protections for counter-protesters.
Keep free speech. Don't ban books or prevent teaching critical race theory. Porn is protected.
Democrats defend consistent free speech principles across political viewpoints and topics. This position recognizes that open discourse, even on difficult subjects, strengthens democracy and societal progress. Democratic policies protect artistic and academic freedom from government censorship. Protection extends to controversial but legally protected speech, with content decisions left to individuals, parents, and communities rather than government mandate.
DEI Programs
Republican Position Democratic
End Divisersity, Equity and Inclusion programs.
Republicans characterize DEI initiatives as divisive and unfair, promoting their elimination across government, education, and corporations. This position rejects systemic explanations for persistent disparities in American society. It often portrays diversity efforts as inherently discriminatory against white Americans. This approach ignores how inclusive environments improve organizational performance and innovation.
Replace DEI with MEI: Meritocracy, Equity and Inclusion.
Democrats propose reframing inclusion efforts around universal principles of merit and fairness while maintaining commitment to diverse representation. This approach emphasizes creating systems where talent can rise regardless of background or identity. MEI programs focus on removing structural barriers to opportunity rather than demographic quotas. This framing responds to legitimate concerns about fairness while continuing progress toward greater representation.
Transgender
Republican Position Democratic
Disallow transgender in sports competitions and military.
Republican policies seek broad bans on transgender participation in athletics and military service regardless of individual circumstances. These positions often extend beyond reasonable competitive concerns to fundamental questions of identity recognition. Policy approaches tend to be blanket prohibitions rather than nuanced guidelines based on relevant factors. Such positions are often justified using outdated or selective medical claims.
Decisions for youth sports competitions are made at the local level. Allow transgender in the military.
Democrats advocate for allowing transgender military service based on capability and readiness, not identity. For athletics, Democrats support local decision-making that balances inclusivity with competitive fairness considerations. This approach recognizes the complexity of these issues and rejects one-size-fits-all federal mandates. It respects transgender individuals' dignity while acknowledging legitimate stakeholder concerns about specific contexts.

The New Democratic Top Priorities

Jobs, Wages & Offshoring
Old Democratic Position New Democratic
Raise minimum wage, incentivize domestic jobs, penalize offshoring via tax policy.
Traditional Democratic approaches focused on across-the-board wage increases regardless of local economic conditions or business size. This approach relied heavily on tax penalties for companies moving operations overseas. Such policies were often applied uniformly without considering the diverse needs of different industries and regions. This sometimes created unintended burdens on small businesses in lower-cost regions.
Tie wage hikes to small business support; promote "reshoring" for the working class.
The new approach balances worker wage protections with targeted support for smaller employers to manage increased labor costs. This includes tax incentives, regulatory simplification, and transition assistance specifically for small businesses. Reshoring initiatives focus on rebuilding manufacturing capacity in former industrial communities with declining populations. These policies create pathways to middle-class stability through skills training matched to actual employer needs.
Artificial Intelligence & Robotics
Old Democratic Position New Democratic
No position other than regulating AI ethics.
Democrats previously lacked coherent policy on AI economic impacts, focusing narrowly on preventing algorithmic bias and privacy concerns. This approach failed to address the fundamental economic disruption AI would bring to labor markets. The limited focus on ethics without economic planning risked leaving workers vulnerable to technological displacement. It also ceded economic leadership on a transformative technology to other nations.
AI and Robots pay taxes. Profits gained via AI are shared with the citizens, not just shareholders.
Democrats now propose a comprehensive approach that treats automation as a taxable asset, similar to human labor. Revenue from automation taxes funds worker retraining, education, and potentially a universal basic income. This framework ensures productivity gains from AI are distributed throughout society rather than concentrated. The policy includes targeted assistance for communities most impacted by automation-related job losses.
Platform Businesses & Antitrust
Old Democratic Position New Democratic
Enforce antitrust laws against tech giants; protect consumers and competition. Capitalism works best when we enforce antitrust. New legislation for platform businesses and AI companies.
The Rural Brain Drain
Old Democratic Position New Democratic
No position on the cycle of depopulation, economic stagnation, and populist voting patterns in rural and smaller urban districts. Offer federal tax credits to companies that hire and retain high-skilled workers if they stay local post-graduation.

Revised Democratic Positions

Housing
Old Democratic Position New Democratic
Expand affordable housing via federal subsidies and zoning reform.
Traditional Democratic housing policy relied heavily on direct federal funding of affordable housing projects in urban areas. This approach often faced local resistance from homeowners concerned about property values and neighborhood change. Past policies sometimes created concentrated poverty through poor project placement and design. Zoning reform efforts were often perceived as federal overreach into local control.
Pair subsidies with private incentives (e.g., tax breaks for builders) to broaden suburban support.
The new approach balances affordable housing goals with market incentives and suburban homeowner concerns. Tax credits for developers building mixed-income housing increase supply without relying solely on government construction. Incremental density increases through accessory dwelling units and modest multi-family options preserve neighborhood character while addressing housing shortages. This balanced approach builds broader political support for addressing housing affordability.
Transportation
Old Democratic Position New Democratic
Invest heavily in public transit, EVs, and infrastructure repair.
Democrats traditionally spread transportation funding across many competing priorities without clear national vision. This approach often failed to create transformative systems that could compete with private automobile convenience. Public transit initiatives frequently faced cost overruns and operational inefficiencies. EV incentives primarily benefited higher-income households that could afford premium electric vehicles.
All-in on a national high-speed rail network similar to systems in Europe, Japan, and China.
Democrats now prioritize building a world-class high-speed rail system connecting major population centers. This bold infrastructure vision creates hundreds of thousands of construction and manufacturing jobs across multiple states. Completed networks would reduce carbon emissions while boosting economic productivity through improved mobility. This approach competes directly with China's infrastructure investments with a distinctly American vision.
Legal Immigration
Old Democratic Position New Democratic
Increasing refugee and asylum caps, and address root causes of migration through foreign aid.
Previous Democratic positions emphasized humanitarian concerns with less focus on economic and workforce needs. This approach often seemed disconnected from domestic labor market realities and skills gaps. Foreign aid programs to address "root causes" showed limited effectiveness despite significant investment. Policy failed to create political consensus around legal immigration reforms.
Tie legal immigration to labor needs—e.g., 100K visas/year for agriculture/tech, adjustable by unemployment rates. Increase H1B, J1, O1 for "extraordinary ability" roles.
Democrats now advocate for a dynamic immigration system responding to actual labor market needs across skill levels. Visa allocations adjust based on economic conditions and specific industry requirements. The approach prioritizes attraction and retention of top global talent while also addressing agricultural and service sector labor needs. This framework builds broader support by directly connecting immigration to economic prosperity.
Personal Debt Relief
Old Democratic Position New Democratic
Mass loan forgiveness.
Previous Democratic positions focused on broad student loan forgiveness regardless of income or career choices. This approach faced criticism for benefiting higher-income college graduates at taxpayer expense. Policy failed to address underlying costs driving student debt accumulation. This position appeared to favor college-educated voters over those without degrees.
Stop loan forgiveness. Start low-interest refinancing for federal loans only in special circumstances.
The new approach focuses on targeted relief through refinancing options rather than blanket forgiveness. This position addresses genuine hardship cases while maintaining loan repayment expectations for those who can afford it. Policy includes expanded income-based repayment options with reasonable caps on monthly payments. This balanced approach is more fiscally responsible while still addressing the most serious debt burdens.
National Debt
Old Democratic Position New Democratic
$1.9T American Rescue Plan and $1T Infrastructure Act (2021) spiked debt by $3T+; Protect Social Security, Medicare—adding $20T to future liabilities. Commit to a 110% debt-to-GDP cap by 2035. Achieved via 1% annual discretionary cuts. Citizens see their portion of US Debt at tax season.
Taxes
Old Democratic Position New Democratic
Hike corporate taxes to 28%. Doubled standard deduction to $12K. Set the corporate rate at 25%. Offer small-business tax break: 1% rate on first $100K profit, 5% on next $1M, 10% on next $10M.
Corporate Inversion
Old Democratic Position New Democratic
Reduced the corporate tax rate from 35% to 21% to make the U.S. HQ more competitive. Create anti-inversion rules that treat companies as U.S. entities if they have significant U.S. operations regardless of technical headquarters location.
Social Services
Old Democratic Position New Democratic
Push universal programs like Medicare for All ($32T over 10 years, CBO 2023). Fund core programs—e.g., $80B/year for Medicaid, $50B for SNAP—but cap growth at inflation +2%.
Free Trade, Fair Trade and Tariffs
Old Democratic Position New Democratic
Support fair trade with labor/environmental standards; use targeted tariffs strategically.
Previous Democratic trade positions tried balancing free trade principles with labor and environmental protections. This approach often faced criticism from both business interests concerned about competitiveness and labor groups worried about job losses. Policy positions frequently appeared inconsistent, shifting based on constituent pressures. Trade deals contained standards that were difficult to enforce effectively.
"Smart Trade, Not Tariffs" use tax incentives for domestic manufacturing, not blunt tariffs.
The new Democratic approach shifts from punitive tariffs to proactive incentives for domestic production through tax policy. This framework emphasizes positive inducements for reshoring rather than penalties for offshoring. Trade policy explicitly prioritizes strategic supply chains in areas like semiconductors, pharmaceuticals, and clean energy. The approach includes robust worker retraining programs for those displaced by remaining trade impacts.
Illegal Immigration & Borders
Old Democratic Position New Democratic
Pathways to citizenship: 8-year citizenship track for 11M, including DACA "Dreamers; Limit ICE scope & end family separations.
Traditional Democratic immigration policy focused primarily on legalization pathways with less emphasis on border security enforcement. This approach faced significant political obstacles and appeared to prioritize undocumented immigrants over border community concerns. Policy positions often failed to acknowledge legitimate security and resource challenges created by irregular migration. This created vulnerability to accusations of supporting "open borders."
ICE is focused only on serious criminals. Finish the wall. Invest in more high tech sensors. Replace DACA's protections with a merit-driven system.
The new approach balances enhanced physical and technological border security with targeted enforcement priorities. This position acknowledges border communities' concerns while maintaining humane treatment of migrants and asylum seekers. Merit-based immigration reforms focus on skills, education, and economic contributions rather than family ties alone. This balanced framework addresses both security and economic needs while being less politically divisive.