Democrats Need McCain-Romney Republicans

The Wall Street Journal ^ | Oct. 21, 2026 3:35 pm ET | Rahm Emanuel

[E. Pluribus Unum]

To make its impending victory last, my party should look to the center, not move further left.

There is little question that President Trump and the GOP will lose this election. With Mr. Trump’s approval rating hitting a historic low for an incumbent president before the midterms, Republicans will cede control of the House and likely the Senate. What is still far from clear is whether Democrats will win. That question won’t be answered on Nov. 3 but over the next two years.

The top story from the 2026 cycle will be the electoral opening Democrats seized—and will have to maintain. Most important, the McCain-Romney Republicans, who are politically homeless, need to be welcomed into Democrats’ governing and electoral coalition. More than 25% of self-described “non-MAGA Republicans” would prefer Democratic control of the next Congress. That is crucial because as in 1991 and 2007—the years before Bill Clinton and Barack Obama won the White House—how Democrats govern in 2027 will determine what happens in 2028 and beyond.

Nearly a half-century ago, we saw this story play out in reverse. Working-class members of the New Deal coalition—the Reagan Democrats Stan Greenberg famously identified in his 1985 study of Macomb County, Mich.—walked away from the Democratic Party. After the 1980 election, Reagan’s strategists worked to solidify their loyalty to the GOP, and the realignment stuck. By contrast, Mr. Trump had a historic opening with Hispanic voters after the 2024 election but squandered it with his reckless immigration raids.

Millions of McCain-Romney voters are redefining their political identities, and they will be most responsible for Democratic gains in November. These voters don’t want to be associated with MAGA, and they see themselves as free agents. The question for Democrats is whether we’re willing to give them a permanent home.

Americans are angry about...

---

TOPICS: Politics/Elections
KEYWORDS:

[E. Pluribus Unum]

Rahmbo is admitting McCain and Romney were really Democrats.

[MinorityRepublican]

Plus Bush & Ryan.

[stanne]

Rahm Emmanuel is contributing to the WSJ? He’s appealing to that audience

Makes sense.

[Fungi]

Rahm Emanuel writing for the Wall Street Journal. Pigs really do fly.

[Jim W N]

The more RINO’s, the stronger the Left.

[HamiltonJay]

The Bush, Romney, McCain’s were the old GOP establishment or the effectively the UNIPARTY...

The dems are not going to moderate, and move to the middle they can’t... they are beholden to the most radical commie whackadoodles... and can’t walk back without crashing and burning.

[E. Pluribus Unum]

And the late Linda, peace be upon her.

[lee martell]

RINOs? I seems that for now, they are an endangered species.

[Fledermaus]

“There is little question that President Trump and the GOP will lose this election,”

Stopped reading right there.

[GOPJ]

McCain played a prime role for jerks in the liberal MSM - he was always there and ready to trash fellow Republicans for their amusement and benefit - to charm reporters who hated conservatives. Yeah, they miss him alight. We don't. (Oh and the WSJ is a liberal newspaper - just the op ed page is occasionally conservative)

[Empire_of_Liberty]

No one needs McCain-Romney Republicans! Not a single person.

[DIRTYSECRET]

McCain wanted John Kerry to be his VP. Who needed who?

[DugwayDuke]

What kind of drugs does Rahm Emanuel use to envision an alliance between non-MAGA republicans and Democratic Socialists?

[mund1011]

Rahm Emmanuel is contributing to the WSJ? He’s appealing to that audience

++++++++

It is quite telling the Rahm and Carville are now the voices of “reason” in the donkey party. Rahm has a credibility problem with the new base (just like Shapiro) as he is Jewish. The donks are not easily going to smooth over this fissure in their midst. Trump hatred is all they got.

[tennmountainman]

And Karl Rove.

[alternatives?]

All the pigs on the Ukraine trough can’t be on the same said.

[proust]

I’m all for anything that weakens the democrats.

[GOPJ]

Interesting.

Didn't Kerry's son or step son also get a corrupt and cushy job in Ukraine along with Hunter Biden - - his fellow NEPO prep school buddy? $80,000 A MONTH to do nothing but 'be the son of a powerful 'elite'?

These losers are the types that join commie takeovers look for them - worthless sons and daughters of 'elites'? Watch for it. If they get in they'll kill millions of us.

[Antoninus]

And yet, they keep moving further and further left.

BTW, I would argue that McCain and Romney were always crypto-leftists. Their voters, however, were not. They were just easily duped. So what Rahm is really saying is that the Left should work harder to dupe those idiots.

That has been the Left's playbook since 1917.

[Adder]

Rhambo, the dumbles will win nothing. Even if you take Congress and I pray that you don’t, none of your laws will pass because DJT has a phone and a pen.

Biggest issue that needs to be adressed by BOTH parties is shoring up Social Security. Yall stole this money from retirees, forced them into the system and you owe them.

After that all the rest can pound sand. The less you “legislate” the better for everyone.

So if you win, go ahead and squander it all “getting Trump” and making threats against the rest of us because thats all dumblecrats do. [Really? Jailing Musk???}

Eff every dumblecrat and special hard thrusts for the so called “stars” of the party like Cameltoe, Occasional Cortex, Zerohisseff and you.