Bill and Hillary Clinton are returning to the political spotlight during the final stretch of the 2026 midterms, lending their names and political experience to Democratic candidates as the party battles for congressional seats and governorships ahead of the November 3 elections.
The former president is heading to Florida to campaign for Democratic gubernatorial nominee David Jolly, while Hillary Clinton has launched a six-week podcast series focused heavily on the midterms and recently appeared at a Democratic fundraiser in Nebraska.
Their renewed involvement comes at a transitional moment for the Democratic Party, where progressive and Democratic Socialist-backed candidates have scored several prominent primary victories over establishment-supported opponents while party leaders continue debating how Democrats can rebuild support among working-class and swing voters.
Democratic strategist Kevin Walling told Fox News that Bill Clinton remains an effective communicator with those voters, although he emphasized that Democrats are not looking for a return to the political approach that defined the Clinton era.
“They’re looking for a path back to winning,” Walling said, arguing that veteran Democratic figures can contribute to the campaign without necessarily representing the party’s future.
Another Democratic strategist, Mally Smith, offered a more limited assessment of the Clintons’ political influence, saying their strongest appeal now lies primarily among committed Democrats and voters who closely follow politics.
Democrats are deploying several of the party’s best-known figures during the campaign’s closing weeks, including former President Barack Obama, as candidates attempt to increase turnout in competitive races around the country.
Bill Clinton is scheduled to campaign with Jolly at an interfaith event in Hollywood, Florida, on October 20, marking his first public campaign appearance of the 2026 election cycle and coming exactly two weeks before Election Day.
The event coincides with the beginning of early voting in parts of Florida, where Jolly is challenging Republican Rep. Byron Donalds in the race to succeed term-limited GOP Gov. Ron DeSantis.
Jolly represented Florida in Congress as a Republican from 2014 until 2017 before becoming a prominent critic of President Donald Trump, leaving the Republican Party and eventually joining the Democratic Party.
He won the Democratic gubernatorial nomination in August and has centered much of his campaign on affordability, including proposals involving property insurance, Medicaid, public-school funding and abortion rights.
The race represents another attempt by Democrats to break a lengthy losing streak in Florida gubernatorial elections, where the party has not elected a governor since Lawton Chiles won reelection in 1994.
Republicans are also bringing national political figures into Florida, with Vice President JD Vance recently campaigning in Lakeland alongside Donalds and Republican Sen. Ashley Moody.
On the Democratic side, Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders is scheduled to campaign with Senate nominee Angie Nixon, while Democratic Sens. Chris Murphy of Connecticut and Ruben Gallego of Arizona have also appeared with Nixon.
Bill Clinton has remained involved in Democratic politics since leaving the White House in 2001, although his campaign schedule has become increasingly selective as a new generation of party leaders has emerged.
He made several appearances during the closing stretch of the 2022 midterms before taking on a more extensive campaign role in 2024, when he traveled on behalf of then-Vice President Kamala Harris and other Democratic candidates.
Hillary Clinton, meanwhile, is increasing her own political visibility through campaign events and a limited podcast series with journalist Kara Swisher titled “High Stakes.”
The six-week project debuted October 14 and is scheduled to release episodes weekly through mid-November as part of Swisher’s existing New York magazine podcast.
The opening episode covered issues including grocery and gasoline prices, health-care costs, billionaire Elon Musk’s political spending, Democratic messaging on affordability and competitive Senate contests in Michigan and Maine.
“I don’t think the stakes for our country and the world have ever been higher than they are in November,” Clinton said while announcing the project.
Clinton has also returned to in-person Democratic fundraising, traveling to Omaha, Nebraska, earlier this month for an event supporting Democratic candidates Lynne Walz and Denise Powell.
This article may contain commentary which reflects the author’s opinion.
