Rahm Emanuel pleads for the Democratic Party to welcome more 'McCain-Romney Republicans'

Former Obama White House chief of staff Rahm Emanuel encouraged the to appeal to moderate "McCain-Romney Republicans" in an op-ed Wednesday.

"The top story from the 2026 cycle will be the electoral opening Democrats seized — and will have to maintain," Emanuel wrote for The Wall Street Journal. "Most important, the McCain-Romney Republicans, who are politically homeless, need to be welcomed into Democrats governing and electoral coalition."

Emanuel argued that moderate Republicans who associate their politics closer with former Utah Sen. Mitt Romney and former Arizona Sen. John McCain have been dissuaded from the GOP by President and could be the deciding factor in the 2026 midterm elections.

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Romney and McCain were the last Republican nominees for president before Trump in 2012 and 2008, respectively, losing each time to .

"Millions of McCain-Romney voters are redefining their political identities, and they will be most responsible for Democratic gains in November. These voters dont want to be associated with MAGA, and they see themselves as free agents. The question for Democrats is whether were willing to give them a permanent home," Emanuel wrote.

The former Clinton advisor pushed back on the idea that the Democratic Party should embrace the more extreme members, warning that the results of the midterm elections would be less a show of support for socialism than a rejection of "MAGA" politics.

"The activists who reside in blue bubbles are sure to interpret the election results as vindication. But the partys ascent wont be born of some newfound enthusiasm for far-left policies such as defunding the police or offering free healthcare to illegal immigrants," Emanuel wrote.

He added that Democrats should hesitate to impeach Trump and instead be focused on passing meaningful legislation, which is what moderate Republicans support as well.

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"Rather than vilifying those whose support we need, Democrats should be inviting them into our coalition. Voters willing to give Democrats a second look need convincing to trust us," Emanuel wrote.

In a comment to , White House spokesperson Davis Ingle defended Trump's record and encouraged all Republicans to double down on his agenda.

"President Trump is the unequivocal leader, best messenger, and unmatched motivator for the Republican Party, and he is committed to maintaining Republican majorities in Congress. The President signed the largest working-class tax cuts in history, lowered the cost of prescription drugs, sealed the border, drove violent crime to the lowest level in nearly a century, unleashed an energy revolution, added more than a million private-sector jobs and sent Americans 401(k)s climbing to record highs. The choice has never been more clear: doubling down on President Trumps winning, commonsense agenda or the Democrats extreme liberal policies and obstruction," Ingle said.

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The Republican National Committee (RNC) also denied that Republicans could align themselves with the values of the Democratic Party.

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