Overview
- In a Guardian op-ed, Timothy Garton Ash says the next roughly 400 days before the Nov. 3, 2026 midterms represent a decisive window to shore up U.S. democracy.
- He urges voters to return the House to Democratic control to constrain President Trump, projecting about 700 more days after the midterms to prepare for a peaceful transfer before 2028.
- His analysis cites four core vulnerabilities: expansive executive power, entrenched partisan gerrymandering bolstered by a 2019 Supreme Court ruling, endemic political violence, and pressures that discourage elite pushback.
- He warns of attempts to disqualify or intimidate voters and of threats to mail-in ballots, raising doubts about how free and fair the 2026 contests will be.
- He argues Democrats’ best path runs through kitchen-table economics as tariffs lift prices and job gains soften, while noting speculation that Trump could try a pre-election cash handout to blunt voter backlash.