Architect of Trump’s failed redistricting strategy tries new winning message for 2026

President Donald Trump's former deputy chief of staff, James Blair, was the architect behind the redistricting effort that has ultimately backfired against Republicans, giving Democrats an edge in the 2026 midterms. Now, Blair wants to come up with a whole new strategy for the midterms.

Bloomberg reported on Thursday that the new White House strategy is to attack Democrats on the border, taxes and by mocking Democrats for being less popular than Republicans are.

"The White House believes Democrats have a branding problem, with polling showing more than half of Americans find the party unfavorable," Bloomberg said.

“We need to push the whole Democrat Party into the corner with their very low approval ratings, where people don’t like them, and exploit the fact that people trust Republicans more on the issues that they’re voting on,” Blair explained in a conversation with Bloomberg Government.

The problem with the thinking, however, is that polls show much of the anger at Democrats is coming from within their own party. CNN's Harry Enten explained earlier this month that when looking at the approval of both parties, Independents and Democrats are responsible for the low approval of the GOP. In the Democratic Party, however, a significant number of Democrats are annoyed with their own party. Democrats who are angry with their own party aren't likely to be swayed by Republicans to support MAGA candidates.

Other issues may falter with voters since Republicans have been in charge of the House, Senate and White House for the past two years. So, attacking Democrats on policy could be a tough sell, since the GOP already has the power to fix whatever issues it deems problematic.

Bloomberg said that attacking Democrats on those messages could somehow make people forget that there is an affordability crisis that Trump called a "Democrat hoax."

"The approach allows the administration to shift away from voter concerns about the high cost of living, mass deportations, and war in Iran, which has caused Trump’s recent polling numbers to drop," the report said. "Trump’s political operation is focused on painting the GOP as the party of border security and public safety, while also heavily promoting its tax cuts."

The only group with lower approval than Trump, according to a University of Massachusetts poll this month, is Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), at 33 percent. Earlier in 2026, federal agents shot and killed two American protesters

On taxes, Americans still believe they're too high, regardless of what Republicans put in the "One, Big, Beautiful Bill," Gallup reported in April.

Speaking to CNN on Thursday morning, former President Barack Obama's campaign manager Jim Messina said that Democrats should continue to talk about the affordability crisis. He urged them not to take the "free candy" that Trump offers up on TruthSocial every day.

"I think if you have 195 days before the election, you should say, I'm going to talk about the economy every single day and worry very little about what Donald Trump's doing. Now, I know that's not reality," he said.

Republicans are loving Blair's new strategy.

“Historically, we should lose the midterms, but I think we have a good shot at keeping it with the economy turning around and James Blair leading us,” Rep. Andy Ogles (R-Tenn.) said. He is among those being targeted by Democrats in the 2026 midterms.

“We’ve seen the administration come out over and over trying to tell people how to feel,” said Rep. Suzan DelBene (D-Wash.). “The reality is that people across the country are struggling. Affordability is a huge issue.”

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