Exclusive: Liberal donor network charts plan to seize House in 2026

The leaders of the Democracy Alliance – a powerful network of liberal donors – will prioritize flipping control of the US House from Republicans in the 2026 cycle, building on gains the group helped engineer in New York and California in this year’s elections.

The leaders of the Democracy Alliance – a powerful network of liberal donors – will prioritize flipping control of the US House from Republicans in the 2026 cycle, building on gains the group helped engineer in New York and California in this year’s elections. “The House will be a critical place where we will be able to minimize the harms of the (Trump) administration,” the alliance’s president, Pamela Shifman, said of midterm plans shared first with CNN. Democrats’ loss of both the White House and control of the Senate last month has made the organization’s leaders more determined to invest in House contests with the goal of building a “robust” majority for House Democrats in two years, she said. No budget has been set yet for the 2026 races. The group plowed more than $11 million alone into an effort that helped Democrats flip House seats in the deep-blue state of New York, further narrowing Republicans’ fragile majority in the chamber. “We have a lot of momentum for this effort,” she said. “I am confident that we have what we need to win.” Shifman did not rule out investing in special elections next year in New York and Florida to fill expected Republican vacancies in the House. “Nothing is off the table at this point,” she said. The alliance has funneled more than $2 billion into liberal causes and organizations since its creation in 2005. It has roughly 120 members who pay annual dues of $35,000 apiece and must commit to sending at least $200,000 to groups working to advance progressive policies.