Democrats Will Control the House & Senate in 2027. Now What?

Despite a number of outstanding races still to be decided, it has been confirmed that the Democratic Party will control the U.S. House of Representatives and U.S. Senate in 2027 and 2028.

After all the hypotheticals, predictions and analysis leading up to midterms, the question has become: “Now what?”

Don’t Forget About the Lame Duck

The new Congress will not be seated for close to two months. With power changing hands, many are predicting a busy lame duck session, and they may well be right.

Many issues important to corporate America could be legislated on in this period, such as permitting reform, defense authorization, the farm bill, disaster relief funding and even an outside chance at another reconciliation process. How much gets done will depend on whether Republicans can pass bills with their own votes or avoid overreaching where they need Democratic support. With House and Senate majorities in sight, Democrats are unlikely to give ground on their priorities now. Washington will not grind to a halt; your campaigns should not, either.

That means playing until the whistle for the 119th Congress and continuing your advocacy and reputation communications. Plus, this is a critical period to lay the groundwork for 2027 and beyond by building relationships with incoming elected officials’ operations, continuing to share how you are helping Americans and communities locally and nationally and determining where you want to focus your efforts for the 120th Congress.

Affordability Will Be Front & Center 

Over the coming days and weeks, Democrats will look to build on the momentum of their wins, while Republicans will begin assessing what went wrong. Both parties will be analyzing the candidates themselves and individual issues that impacted voting decisions.

Corporate America has always been a political punching bag, but polling suggests that voter sentiment and political rhetoric are aligned at a time when concerns regarding affordability and job security are at an all time high. There will be many new members intent on turning their campaign promises into oversight and legislation with a focus on the economy and affordability.

ROKK Solutions’ own research reinforces this. Our polling found that voters on both sides of the aisle who are concerned about the cost of living and the affordability of everyday products blame corporate America just as much as they blame members of Congress and other elected officials for the affordability crisis. Companies should keep that in mind as they communicate with legislators, with the states and cities where they serve their communities, and through the products and services they deliver. The cost of living will remain a focal point heading into the new Congress and the 2028 presidential election.

Prepare For a Robust Legislative Agenda 

The incoming Democratic majorities will be much larger than many have predicted and you will hear the word “mandate” often over the next 24 months. Aside from an ambitious oversight agenda, the new majority will not only look to pass legislation with a goal towards enacting law, they will set legislative markers to set precedent for future action by a Democratic administration. 

Corporate America is guaranteed to be in the middle of this agenda and will be targeted for a combination of issues: perceived excessive profits, taxes, job displacement due to AI, gas prices, energy costs, health care, alleged quid pro quo deals and much more.

The companies that anticipate the battles and start preparing now help set the terms of the stories and mitigate the risk of a fiery Capitol Hill hearing that is clipped and disseminated to millions of Americans on social media. In practice, corporate America needs to: 

• Stress-test the public narrative on prices, profits, workforce and AI
• Prepare your executives and spokespeople proactively for appearances in the media and on Capitol Hill
• Assemble your coalition of third-party validators who can credibly speak to the value you provide to local communities and the nation as a whole

A Larger Majority Brings Challenges & Opportunities 

The new Democratic majority will be composed of many new faces from all over the country with intersecting interests. But that does not mean they will always find alignment. It is critical to understand who these people are, what issues they ran on and how to most effectively communicate with them. Now is the time to take an honest inventory of how you fit in:

• Was your company, industry or product named in campaign ads or debates?
• Which incoming members ran against your sector? What were the specific issues? What do they read, listen to, watch and engage with?
• Did you lose any longtime allies? Who is expected to replace them on the committees that impact you? 
• How do your business decisions and profitability look through an affordability lens?

Additionally, it is important to remember the incoming majority is not monolithic in their political ideology. There will be more members elected from red states and Trump + 10 districts than the Democratic Socialists who have to date received the most media attention. 

Understanding this new diverse ideological ecosystem will be imperative to crafting a successful communications strategy and to creating opportunities to engage productively across the new majority.

Bipartisanship Still Matters

While the House and Senate might be changing hands, Donald Trump is still the president. Agencies will continue to write the rules, award the contracts and run the enforcement actions that affect your business. Relationships with the administration matter as much as they did before Election Day.

Additionally, any legislation with a chance of becoming law will need to be negotiated on a bipartisan basis. Divided government, especially at these margins, requires a long-term strategy and nuanced messaging. 

The strongest messages in a divided government are the ones both parties can repeat: jobs in a member’s district, investment in a state, lower costs for consumers and services that make people’s lives better. Business leaders and communicators should frame priorities around shared outcomes and keep their outreach balanced across both caucuses and both chambers.

As a bipartisan firm, ROKK Solutions understands both sides of the political landscape and helps clients prepare for all political realities, regardless of which party is in charge. We possess decades of senior level experience in public service, media and communications required to counsel companies and organizations on how to best position themselves in the Washington marketplace. Get in touch with our team.