2026 Will Be the Year of Political Pragmatism

After a resounding 2024 election win, 2025 was marked by President Donald Trump’s political turbulence. Justified by a purported mandate to address America’s cost of living crisis, the commander-in-chief decimated swaths of federal workers, sent the national guard to U.S. cities, and abandoned America’s global leadership role regarding humanitarian issues.

This turbulence leaves many questions remaining for the year ahead. Will Democrats embrace Democratic Socialism as embodied by New York City mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani? Will Republicans distance themselves from Trump as the costs he promised to lower rise? And how will populist tides turn in the year ahead?

[time-brightcove not-tgx=”true”]

Politics is nothing if not unpredictable, but the 2026 midterms are already in motion, with political ad spending expected to set a new record and pollsters predicting a blue wave. President Trump’s economic approval rating dropping to a recent low of 31% certainly doesn’t help matters for Republicans.

Polling data points in one direction: Anti-establishment pragmatism is wildly popular. According to the latest research from Outward Intelligence, Americans are hungry for candidates who reject the status quo while maintaining practical, results-oriented positions on core issues. This increasingly popular worldview isn’t about ideology as much as it is about efficacy. Voters want to know there are adults in the rooms where policy happens.

Bipartisan frustration

Americans are desperate for a functional system. If perception is reality, our system could not be more “broken.” Only 32% of Americans believe America’s best days are ahead. Even worse, just 17% of U.S. adults think that Congress represents their interests. Meanwhile, six in 10 Americans have no confidence that the U.S. system solves problems.

In a hyper-polarized world, frustration has actually become bipartisan. This explains why about 10% of Mamdani voters were Trump voters in the past, transcending ideological divides to send the same message about the status quo. According to polling, most conservatives say that Congress doesn’t represent them, while most liberals agree that the system fails to follow through on the legislative proposals they seek. When left- and right-wingers agree that the United States is unrepresentative, that represents a mandate for disruption—from Trump in 2024 to Mamdani in 2025.

Political pragmatism

But disruption needs direction. Though Americans may be sick and tired of the status quo, voters don’t want chaos, or a haphazard, inconsistent approach. They want actual good governance and clear accountability. Community by community, our polling shows that people still want certainty and control.

Take immigration, one of the most contentious issues of our time. Moderates and conservatives are roughly aligned on border enforcement, with nearly 80% of conservatives supporting the deportation of criminals and almost 50% of moderates strongly supporting the same policy. Even one-third of liberals support deporting criminals. Most Americans—Democrat and Republican—crave a common-sense approach.

When asked about deporting people with no criminal record and whose only offense is having come to the United States illegally—as has been the case with most arrests made by ICE this year—support for deportation craters across the board. Even among conservatives, only 38% of voters strongly support more sweeping border enforcement policies. Voters want borders secured and laws enforced. But Americans do not demand mass deportations of working families.

In other words? Pragmatism over partisanship. 

An exhausted America is saying, “Just fix it.”

The pragmatic playbook

The playbook for successful candidates is to oppose the deeply unpopular establishment, but not at the expense of practically pursuing solutions to our problems. The middle—still the most dominant force in American politics—isn’t looking for the purity that the fringes demand on TikTok. The winning formula isn’t left or right.

Smart campaigns will realize that the struggle is outside versus inside, combined with positions that sound tough but feel reasonable. Now more than ever, amid economic uncertainty and fleeting affordability, working Americans and other voters want to support those who can pursue reform outside of the failed framework of establishment politics.

Communist revolution isn’t top of mind in blue or red states—and neither is a wave of voters eager for fascism.

The anti-establishment pragmatist calls out both parties for failure and takes difficult positions on visible issues like border security, while showing flexibility on implementation. This candidate promises results over ideological talking points, and they will win elections. It may be more boring than chaos or revolution, but popularity still counts for more in electoral politics.

One year into his second term, President Trump’s approval has fallen because of his failed promises to lower costs. In the year ahead, Mamdani will be judged by his ability to keep his own ambitious promises. 

In 2025, the American people showed they prioritize results over politics. The question remains whether the politicians will listen in the year ahead.