Why Are Democrats Claiming the 2026 Midterms Will Be Stolen? I Have a Theory.

Prediction markets give Democrats an 85% shot at flipping the House and a 51% chance of flipping the Senate in November. They lead in the generic ballot, and multiple factors point to it being a bad year for the GOP, yet Democrats are pushing the conspiracy theory that Trump and the GOP are going to steal the midterm elections.

Former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, who is retiring from Congress at the end of this term, sat down recently with MSNBC’s Ali Vitali for a wide-ranging interview touching on the 2026 midterms, Joe Biden, the partial government shutdown, and the prospects for female presidential candidates. What emerged was something less than a victory lap.

Pelosi raised eyebrows by suggesting Republicans could hack voting machines to alter election results. “We have to be on guard as to what they may try to do to the technology,” she said, alleging the GOP “may try to creep into the technology and create a false count.”

She added, “We always have concerns, but with this president and the Republicans who have no commitment to the rule of law and doing things the appropriate way — we’re ready.” She also stressed that “we have to make sure the elections are safe.”

If it were just one high-profile Democrat making this claim, it could be dismissed. But other high-ranking Democrats have been making similar accusations.