Trump’s aggressive — and unpopular — use of tariffs in his second term has created an opening for more trade-friendly voices in the party, after a decade in the political wilderness.

Democratic candidates are rallying against President Donald Trump’s tariffs in the final days of the midterms. But behind the scenes, cracks over trade policy are starting to emerge within the party.

Campaigns from New Hampshire to Michigan to California are running ads condemning the president’s sweeping use of tariffs around the world, blaming it for driving up prices and hurting businesses. What they don’t fully show is the extent to which leading Democrats are already jockeying for influence on the issue, with officials from export-dependent states and those with small business ties pushing for a reversal of Trump’s policies while union allies and Rust Belt politicians advocate for a more cautious approach.

The simmering debate over how far to reject Trump’s trade agenda cuts across geography and ideology. It’s likely to bubble into public view in the coming months as Democrats prepare to assume more power in Congress and jump into the wide-open 2028 presidential primary.

The central point of tension, according to interviews with nine current and former Democratic officials, is whether the party should continue to embrace some tariffs to boost manufacturing or seek to lower them across the board as a way to cut costs for consumers and businesses.