Democratic candidates competing in Senate and House races in 2026 are openly faulting former President Joe Biden’s approach to border security, seeking to address a persistent electoral weakness. Their campaigns are combining calls for stronger enforcement with criticism of President Donald Trump’s immigration policies as they compete for voters in battleground districts and Republican-leaning states.
In Texas, Democratic Senate nominee James Talarico has made his criticism part of a recent advertisement in his closely contested race against Republican Ken Paxton. “I called out Joe Biden for failing us on the border,” Talarico says. He delivered a similar assessment in July while introducing his own border security proposal. In Kansas, Democrat Adam Hamilton described immigration at the border under Biden as “a disaster” during a debate with Republican Sen. Roger Marshall, while also condemning the effects of the subsequent response on Kansas residents.
The strategy reflects Democrats’ continuing difficulty on an issue Republicans have used to rally supporters and appeal to swing voters. Biden entered office in 2021 amid a Covid-era migration surge. Crossings increased sharply after he reversed Trump-era restrictions and policies, permitting more asylum seekers to remain while their cases were considered. The increase became closely linked to his presidency, damaged his approval ratings and provided Trump with an effective line of attack in 2024.
Trump now faces his own political challenges over immigration. Polls indicate that many Americans have grown more critical of his approach following immigration officers’ fatal shootings of two Americans in Minnesota and one in Maine this year. His overall approval rating has dropped to 38%. Border security nevertheless remains among his strongest issues in polling, although support has declined from early in his second term.
In Pennsylvania, Democratic House candidate Paige Cognetti criticized the Biden administration’s border performance during a Thursday night debate. Cognetti, who is challenging Republican Rep. Rob Bresnahan in a competitive working-class district around Scranton, welcomed a secure border while calling for pathways to citizenship. South Carolina Democratic Senate candidate Annie Andrews also said during a debate that Democrats had failed on border policy.
Democratic pollster Celinda Lake endorsed candidates’ efforts to separate themselves from Biden’s record. She said immigration had energized Republicans and helped them with swing voters in 2024, but argued that excessive ICE enforcement had since backfired. Her preferred message combines border controls with a humanitarian immigration process.
Iowa Democratic Senate candidate Josh Turek traveled more than 800 miles to Laredo, Texas, to record an advertisement supporting stronger enforcement. In it, he highlighted his vote with Republicans to permit law enforcement to arrest and deport criminals. An earlier advertisement pledged cooperation with anyone, including Trump, to secure the border.
In Texas’ redrawn, Republican-friendly 35th Congressional District, Democrat Johnny Garcia is running against Republican Carlos De La Cruz. Garcia has criticized Trump’s ICE raids for hurting the economy while also blaming Biden’s border policies. At a recent forum, he cited the 2022 smuggling case in which 53 migrants died after being locked in a trailer in south San Antonio, arguing that both border failures and enforcement on local streets require attention.
