Democrats are campaigning on distinct positions on immigration, transgender athletes, Israel and health care ahead of Nov. 3, as polling shows shifts in public views on Israel and national health coverage.
The campaign statements come from individual candidates, while the party’s 2024 platform sets out its own policy commitments. That platform supported access to gender-affirming care and fair treatment for transgender students at school. It also called for border security and legal immigration reform.
Ohio Rep. Marcy Kaptur’s campaign ad opposes boys competing in girls’ sports. South Carolina Senate candidate Annie Andrews said in an ad, “I don’t support biological men playing women’s sports.” Both ads address sports eligibility; Andrews’ ad also says she does not support, and has never performed, gender surgery for minors.
A Pew Research Center survey of 3,507 U.S. adults, conducted March 23-29, 2026, found that 80% of Democrats and Democratic-leaning independents viewed Israel unfavorably. That was up from 69% in 2025 and 53% in 2022; 60% of adults overall also had an unfavorable view.
On Sept. 23, Sen. Chris Coons and three other senators introduced a bill proposing targeted sanctions against people and organizations that facilitate settlement construction in the E1 area of the West Bank. The proposal does not mean sanctions have been imposed. POLITICO reported Oct. 6 that Coons would consider sanctions targeting Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu if his government maintained its current course. In April, Coons said he voted against resolutions seeking to block U.S. arms sales to Israel.
In Texas, Senate candidate James Talarico supports adding Border Patrol agents and surveillance technology, as well as comprehensive immigration reform and legal pathways for migrants. The party’s 2024 platform also called for border security alongside legal immigration reform.
Michigan Senate candidate Abdul El-Sayed lists Medicare for All as a priority. In a KFF poll conducted Sept. 16-21, 66% of adults favored a national plan that would cover everyone through one government plan, compared with 53% in an Oct. 7-12, 2020, poll. Support in the 2026 survey was 84% among Democrats, while 66% of Republicans opposed the proposal. KFF asked about public support for a particular plan design; it did not assess whether the party had made Medicare for All an official commitment.
The Federal Election Commission lists Nov. 3 as the date of the general election.
