“They Have Project 2025, We Have Project 2026—We Are at War,” Congressman Warns
While Republicans continue to push their controversial Project 2025 agenda, Democratic Congressman Danny K. Davis (D-7th) said Wednesday, July 23, that Democrats are countering with “Project 2026,” calling the political climate “a war” that must be met with bold, offensive action.
“While we play defense, we also can make offensive moves,” Davis told the Crusader. “We’ve got to protect ourselves from all the changes, the draconian cutbacks, and the attacks on our democracy. But we also have to let the American people know what we stand for and what we are promoting.”
Davis outlined key planks in the Democratic agenda, including equal opportunity, fairness, expanded programs for low- and moderate-income people, and the restoration of the nation’s safety net programs.
Project 2025 is a policy blueprint prepared by the conservative Heritage Foundation and endorsed by allies of former President Donald Trump. The plan lays out a roadmap to restructure the federal government drastically if Trump returns to the White House. According to the project’s timeline, there are 1,277 days remaining until January 20, 2029—enough time, Davis said, for voters to organize, register, and verify their eligibility well in advance of the 2026 midterms and the 2028 presidential election.
Davis cited concerns raised by investigative journalist Greg Palast, who warned that millions of voters were disenfranchised in the last presidential election due to technicalities and clerical errors. According to Palast, at least 2,121,000 mail-in ballots were disqualified for minor issues such as insufficient postage, and more than 585,000 in-precinct ballots were discarded.
He further stated that 1,216,000 provisional ballots were rejected, and 3.24 million new voter registrations were either denied or not processed in time for Election Day. In 2023, Palast said that 4,776,706 voters were wrongly purged from the rolls, citing data from the Election Assistance Commission.
Palast attributes Vice President Kamala Harris’ 2024 loss to a combination of racist voter suppression tactics, comparing them to a 1946 Ku Klux Klan purge plan revived by what he called a southern voluntary group of “Old Crow” operatives. He claimed that had those ballots and registrations not been blocked, Harris would have won Michigan, Wisconsin, Pennsylvania, and Georgia—defeating Trump by 1.2 million votes in the Electoral College and over 3.5 million in the popular vote.
Rep. Davis agreed with Palast and urged voters to check their registration status no later than two months before the election. “People must protect themselves from these ridiculous approaches outlined in Project 2025,” he said. “But we must continue to move forward.”
Adding to the complexity of the political landscape are multiple issues threatening to distract voters from Project 2026, including bipartisan calls for the Department of Justice to release unsealed files from the Jeffrey Epstein investigation. Several media outlets have reported that Trump’s name appears in the documents.
Although Trump’s former DOJ chief reportedly warned him about the implications, Trump deflected attention by accusing former President Barack Obama of committing treason by allegedly “rigging the 2016 election.” In response, Obama’s spokesperson, Patrick Rodenbush, said: “Out of respect for the office of the presidency, our office does not normally dignify the constant nonsense and misinformation flowing out of this White House with a response. But these claims are outrageous enough to merit one. These bizarre allegations are ridiculous and a weak attempt at distraction.”
Meanwhile, public pressure continues to mount against Trump amid ongoing allegations of corruption and legal battles.
“They thought we would walk away from the principle of equal protection under the law. They thought wrong,” said House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries in a recent address. “Trump’s unconstitutional attack on the Constitution and assault on the American way of life is unprecedented. But the self-appointed dictator on day one is learning an important lesson: Americans don’t bend the knee to bullies.”
Jeffries added, “In the face of tyranny, we join together, we rise up together, we get into some good trouble—and we are just getting started.” He is one of the leading voices promoting the Democratic Party’s Project 2026, which aims to mobilize voters and retake the House and Senate in 2026.
Rep. Davis echoed the call for unity and urged fellow Democrats to prioritize voter education and grassroots mobilization.
“We have to educate voters about the high stakes in this election,” Davis said. “We must roll back the ‘Big Ugly Bill’—those Trump-era tax cuts that threaten to devastate funding for healthcare, education, and services for the poor, seniors, and veterans.”
He continued, “We have to give the people hope so they become energized and ready for war—because we are in a war.”