President Donald Trump looks on as he exits Air Force One on his arrival at Palm Beach International Airport in West Palm Beach, Florida, January 31, 2026. REUTERS/Nathan Howard
The impending 2026 midterms are certain to be dramatic, with the potential to bring about seismic political shifts, but according to a former GOP operative writing for The Hill, there is also reason to expect that they will be the most "dangerous" midterms of all time.
Myra Adams is an opinion contributor for The Hill who previously did creative work for GOP presidential campaigns in 2004 and 2008. On Friday morning, she published a piece expanding on her past assertions that the 2026 midterms will be "the most dramatic ever," adding that the increasing signs of volatility mean that they could also become the most dangerous, and outline seven reasons why.
The first reason, she explained, is also the "overarching" one, hanging over the entire cycle: President Donald Trump fears that Republicans might lose both of their majorities in the House and Senate, meaning that Democrats will be empowered to hold his administration to account, and almost certainly impeach him once again. Trump is also reportedly aware that history is aligned against him, as the party in the White House tends to suffer notable losses in the midterm races.
The second reason Adams gave was the GOP's expanding push to gerrymander red states in their favor to help maintain their House majority. She cited her previous warning that the party retaining the House in November could lead to a major "revolt" from voters, who have soured against the party under Trump's leadership. The massive redistricting push to rig the map in their favor, she argued, will only make such a scenario more likely.
For the third reason, Adams argued that this year is likely to be the country's first "authoritarian" election, with Trump and his allies threatening to deploy the government's vast resources towards intimidating voters and casting doubt on the results. Officials have floated sending ICE patrols to key polling precincts, while Trump also recently announced the creation of an "Election Integrity Army in every single State to preserve the sanctity of each legal vote."
"Fourth, early signs point to 2026 being among the highest voter turnout in midterm history," Adams continued. "Therefore, count on intimidation in Democratic areas as discussed above. The fifth reason for midterm drama and danger is the dour mood among American consumers, in which worries about affordability are a staple of daily life. Trump’s sinking job approval is mirrored in gas prices, grocery receipts, health insurance premiums, and soaring utility bills. Yet he appears extremely cavalier, seemingly incapable of feeling the people’s pain."
The sixth reason she gave warned of the widespread use of artificial intelligence to spread misinformation and fake smears about candidates, meaning that voters will now have to discern what information they are receiving is real, on top of everything else.
"'Seventh, voters feel powerless," Adams concluded. "Few trust the government to improve their economic circumstances or curb inflation, as Trump promised to do in 2024. Moreover, Americans are paying billions for an unpopular war in Iran which, in March, the president called an “excursion” to be over “very soon.” Furthermore, Trump is obsessed with getting even, engaging billionaires, enriching his family and building a gilded ballroom, all while renaming and remaking Washington as if it were Mar-a-Lago."