Self-Sabotage? Controversial candidates could risk Dem midterm advantage

Polls show that Democrats have an advantage heading into the midterm elections, spurred by the president's high disapproval rating and frustration with the Republican Party, but there is a risk. Some Democratic candidates cannot stop saying controversial things that voters may consider beyond the fringe.

The political climate for Democrats has rarely been better in a midterm year. Public polling shows President Donald Trump’s disapproval rating at an all-time high of 62 percent, with his economic handling garnering 62 percent disapproval as well.

The generic ballot shows Democrats leading Republicans by between six and eight points. Adding to the optimism, Democrats had a dominant sweep in the 2025 off-year elections in Virginia and New Jersey, which DNC Chair Ken Martin called “one of the most historic off-year elections for the Democratic Party ever.”

Democrat suggests "imprisoning American Zionists"

Yet, instead of capitalizing on this massive advantage, the party is struggling to maintain discipline, with a series of controversial candidates, shocking comments, and integrity questions threatening to undermine their momentum. One of the most extreme examples of this trend is in Texas, where a Democratic House candidate says she wants to imprison “American Zionists” in a repurposed immigration center.

The candidate, Maureen Galindo, a professional sex therapist and housing activist, running for Texas’ 35th Congressional District, is currently facing another Democrat in a primary runoff. In a post to Instagram, Galindo said she would turn the "Karnes ICE Detention Center into a prison for American Zionists and former ICE officers for human trafficking."

"It will also be a castration processing center for pedophiles, which will probably be most of the Zionists," Galindo added.

Controversial Democrats are advancing or remaining competitive 

The comments earned Galindo a strong rebuke from Democratic Party leadership, including House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, who called the language "vile" and "disqualifying and has no place in American politics." Democratic leaders also blamed Republicans for a shadowy group, Lead Left PAC, that has supported Galindo’s campaign.

Galindo is far from the only candidate creating headaches for the party. Even in contested primaries, controversial figures are advancing or remaining competitive. In Maine, Graham Platner won the Democratic primary despite a trail of controversial online comments regarding political violence, the military, and police. It all started with the candidate’s controversial tattoo, skull-and-crossbones ink that closely resembles the Nazi-era "Totenkopf" (or "Death's Head"), which was adopted by the infamous SS organization in Adolf Hitler’s regime.

Platner, a former Navy SEAL, said that he got the tattoo during a night of drinking in 2007 while on leave in Croatia when he was in his 20s and in the Marine Corps. Last fall, he told the Associated Press that he had paid to have the tattoo covered up. "Going to a tattoo removal place is going to take a while," he reportedly said at the time. "I wanted this thing off my body."

Platner mocks "fellow veterans," blames his mental health

But, the controversies for Platner, who is challenging incumbent Republican Senator Susan Collins, have not stopped coming. In a post on the Democratic candidate’s now-deleted Reddit account that recently resurfaced, Graham appeared to mock a U.S. soldier who was almost killed in combat.

"This video never gets old," the Reddit account "P-Hustle" posted in June 2019. Platner has acknowledged that this was his account on the social networking site. The post referenced a viral video taken from the helmet camera of Private First Class Ted Daniels taken during a firefight with the Taliban in 2012. Daniels was shot four times and earned a Purple Heart for his injuries.

"Dumb mother**cker didn't deserve to live. At least his stupidity and fat a** wheezing are available for all future infantrymen to witness and hold in contempt. Poor marksmanship on the Taliban's part is the only reason this mouthbreather made it home, he managed to make every possible s**t decision possible when it comes to small unit combat,” Platner said in the post.

Platner has also come under fire in recent days for several crude and explicit Reddit posts.

In various online entries following his service in the early 2000s, he had disparaged police, labeled white individuals in rural areas as racist, and struck an apathetic tone toward those who were victims of sexual assault.

Platner apologized for the various comments last October, saying that his mental health suffered following his tours in Iraq and Afghanistan.

“While I won’t defend things I said in the past, I will just say that if it wasn’t for that entire journey, I would not be who I am today, and I’m incredibly proud of who I am today,” Platner said in an October video. “And so, for those of you who have read these things and been offended, have read these things and seen someone that you don’t recognize, I am deeply sorry.”

Democrats embracing murder of corporate executives

In Michigan, one Democratic candidate has drawn fire in the senate primary for doing a campaign event with Hasan Piker, a controversial online personality who has drawn criticism for comments about Israel that many deem anti-Semitic.

Piker has appeared to justify the murder of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson, who he claimed was guilty of “social murder” and called Orthodox Jews “inbred.” In 2019, he also said that “America deserved 9/11,” though later apologized for it.

The candidate, Abdul El-Sayed, is running in the Democratic primary election to replace outgoing Michigan Senator Gary Peters. That election takes place on August 4. El-Sayed faced criticisms from both fellow Democrats and Republicans for the event.

El-Sayed refused to denounce these comments during a campaign stop with Piker last month and instead said that it is “critical” that Democrats embrace the online streamer. “I’m not here to disavow people’s views,” El-Sayed said. “This whole gotcha game, platform policing, cancel culture — I thought we were over it.”

For national Democratic leaders, this wave of controversial rhetoric is forcing them to ask themselves a difficult question: will their candidates’ chaotic, self-inflicted wounds undo the advantage the party is currently holding over the Republicans?

The party’s electoral performance last year in at least one off-cycle election may be the Democrats’ silver lining.

Jay "Two Bullet "Jones in Virginia’s Attorney General race

Former Democratic Delegate Jay Jones was mired in public scrutiny after text messages were revealed showing him supporting violence against a political opponent in the Virginia House of Delegates. Jones said he would pick a political opponent to receive a “bullet” over Adolf Hitler and Pol Pot, stating, “Gilbert gets two bullets to the head.”

While Jones apologized for the messages, they were a drag on his campaign. Nevertheless, he trounced incumbent Republican Attorney General Jason Miyares by nearly seven points.

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