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An Officer & A Jentleson

After a year of drift and division, the Democratic Party’s sudden unity over healthcare as a redline in the government shutdown offers a way forward to the 2026 midterms. Democratic strategist Adam Jentleson offers his candid observations on the shutdown, his party’s tactics, and the Schumer of it all.

Adam Jentleson
Adam Jentleson spent his formative years in the trade as a speechwriter for presidential candidates John Kerry and John Edwards, but he really cut his political teeth as a top aide to Harry Reid, the late, take-no-prisoners Senate Majority Leader who prioritized winning above ideology. Photo: Tom Williams/CQ Roll Call/Getty Images
Leigh Ann Caldwell
October 5, 2025

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The Democratic Party is perhaps in its best position since its 2024 election shellacking, with polls indicating that a majority of Americans blame President Trump and Republicans for the current government shutdown. Democrats, who have struggled to convey their values, finally have a clear and disciplined message: healthcare. For once, there is a modicum of unity.