About the Event

The German Council on Foreign Relations (DGAP), the Cluster of Excellence “Contestations of the Liberal Script” (SCRIPTS) at Freie Universität Berlin, and Bertelsmann Stiftung are hosting a discussion on the upcoming US midterm elections and the state of the Democratic opposition.

With the 2026 midterms just weeks away and President Trump’s approval ratings at historic lows, the D/democratic opposition is coming into focus. Bruising and, at times, surprising primary elections have exposed fractures within the Democratic Party while also revealing political momentum and new opportunities, including important victories and defeats for candidates aligned with the Democratic Socialist wing.

The discussion will examine key House and Senate races, consequential debates within the Democratic Party coalition, current public opinion, and the issues motivating voters ahead of the elections.

Speakers

• Georgia Parke is Director of Audience Engagement at More Perfect Union, an advocacy journalism nonprofit with eight million followers that focuses on building power for working people. In this role, she leads several teams producing daily social media and video content. Previously, she spent several years as a communications and digital adviser to US Senator Bernie Sanders, including as Social Media Director for his 2020 presidential campaign. She lives in Boston, Massachusetts.

• Bruce Stokes is a veteran analyst of US foreign policy and public opinion. He is a Visiting Senior Fellow at the German Marshall Fund of the United States (GMF), where he served as Senior Editor of the 2022 Transatlantic Trends survey. From 2017 to 2020, he was a Senior Fellow at the Council on Foreign Relations, of which he remains a member. From 2012 to 2019, he directed the Pew Research Center’s Global Economic Attitudes research and co-authored numerous public opinion surveys. Previously, he spent 23 years as International Economics Correspondent for National Journal, a public policy magazine based in Washington, DC.

• Moderator: Rachel Tausendfreund, Senior Research Fellow for USA/Transatlantic Relations, DGAP

About the Series

This event is part of the series Remaking America? Contesting Visions from Trump and Beyond, a cooperation between DGAP and the Cluster of Excellence “Contestations of the Liberal Script” (SCRIPTS) at Freie Universität Berlin. The series brings together leading thinkers, scholars, and policy experts from the United States to assess the emerging ideas and political factions reshaping American democracy and foreign policy—and their consequences for Germany and Europe.

Attending the Event

Please register here to attend the event in person. Registered participants will receive a confirmation email with further information on September 28, 2026.

Register here to participate online via Zoom.

For questions, please contact events@dgap.org.

Please note that photographs and video recordings will be taken during the event. DGAP may use this material for public relations purposes in print and online, including on social media. Further information on data processing is available here.