Democrats and Republicans quietly tweak their priorities online
As candidates in competitive races head to the general election in November, a number of them are subtly tweaking their websites to de-emphasize, tweak or erase what they said not so long ago. But the internet has a long memory, and websites like Archive.org routinely capture old and new versions of campaign websites. Those snapshots offer a glimpse into the sleight-of-hand maneuvers Democratic and Republican candidates make as they try refashioning their years-long records into the most current version of what they consider to be popular.
Adam Gray
Two years ago, Democrat Adam Gray won a House race in California, touting his work as a state legislator, delivering results on issues like agriculture, education and public safety. Gray, according to his campaign website, “worked with law enforcement to ban the use of the chokehold that killed George Floyd without jeopardizing officer safety.”
The reference to Floyd, whose death touched off protests across the country in 2020, and Gray’s work to ban police chokeholds was visible on his campaign website as early as Dec. 5, 2023. And there it remained until as late as July 29, 2025, according to Archive.org, which preserves websites over time.
But when Archive next captured a version of Gray’s campaign website, on June 2, 2026, the line had been removed.
Gray’s campaign did not respond to Straight Arrow’s request for an interview.
Gray is one of nearly a dozen candidates in competitive House races who tweaked parts of their campaign websites after the 2024 election cycle, according to a review by Straight Arrow News. The changes ranged from subtle word replacements to wholesale deletion of topics like abortion and LGBTQ rights. Straight Arrow reached out to each campaign for comment. Only one responded, via a statement.
Darren Soto
The campaign website for Rep. Darren Soto, D-Florida, had a page dedicated to “LGBT Equality” dating as far back as Oct. 5, 2018. In the last of the page’s three paragraphs, Soto wrote he “was proud to vote against banning transgender Americans from serving in the military,” and that he “strongly” opposed “Trump’s effort to allow open discrimination against the LGBT+ community…”
By Oct. 31, 2024, that third paragraph was removed; the two remaining paragraphs stayed on Soto’s campaign site as late as Jan. 18, 2025.
As of July 9, 2026, the LGBT page of Soto’s campaign “has been removed or deleted.” Also removed after 2024: Pages related to “Reproductive Rights and Women’s Health,” “Gun Safety Reform” and “Climate Change.”The campaign did not respond to an email seeking comment.
Amish Shah
Democratic legislator Amish Shah is running for an open House seat in central Arizona after nearly defeating the longtime Republican Rep. David Schweikert in the area, who is now making a long-shot bid for governor. In that earlier run, the “Issues” page on Shah’s website noted he “was the only Democrat who voted for tighter fentanyl laws to ensure that more traffickers face felony charges.”
That information was visible as early as Oct. 31, 2024, and as late as Jan. 8, 2025. But by March 8, 2026, the “Border Security” section under which the statement appeared had been removed. The reference to Shah being “the only Democrat” to vote for that legislation was also gone.
Laurie Buckhout
Republican Laurie Buckhout is running for a House seat in North Carolina this year after losing a race for that seat in 2024 by less than 2 percentage points. But this time, running as a Republican meant running with the party in control of Washington, not against it.
As late as May 28, 2026, Buckhout’s website identified “Fixing Our Broken Economy” as a top issue. “The Biden-Harris-Davis agenda created devastating inflation rates,” Buckhout’s website said, before referencing “working families who can’t afford another year of rising costs at the gas pump and grocery store.”
But last month “Fixing Our Broken Economy” was replaced with, “Turning Our Economy Around.” Although the section accused Democrats of making “empty promises and delivered nothing” for “more than a century,” it did not identify a cause or person responsible for why the economy needed to be turned around.
Don Davis
Rep. Don Davis beat Buckhout two years ago and will face her in the general election this year. His campaign website also underwent changes since 2024 to focus more deeply on economic issues.
During that earlier race, Davis’s campaign page listed several key priorities, including “Women’s Rights and Healthcare,” “Equity and Justice” and the “Environment.” They were listed as “Priorities” on his website as far back as May 17, 2022, and as late as Jan 17, 2026. But by April 11, 2026, those three categories were removed from that part of Davis’ campaign website.
“Women’s Rights and Healthcare” — which focused on protecting access to abortion — was replaced with “Healthcare Access and Affordability” — which references “rural areas,” “rural healthcare access,” and “rural communities.”
“Equity and Justice” was replaced with “Agriculture & Rural Communities.”
And at the bottom of the page, “Environment,” now reads, “A Practical Approach.”
Madison Andrus, a spokeswoman for the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee that is helping Davis, did not directly address removing content but said it was normal to reorder issues on a website in response to the changing landscape facing the electorate.
“The extremist Republicans that Laurie Buckhout is backing have wrecked the economy. Gas prices are up, costs at the grocery store are up and health care costs are skyrocketing — all consequences of Buckhout-endorsed extremism,” Andrus said in a statement. “Addressing this cost of living crisis that out-of-touch Republicans like Buckhout created is Congressman Davis’ top priority.”
Davis’ voting record on the other topics, she said, “continues to speak for itself.”
Lauren Gillen
Freshman Democrat Rep. Lauren Gillen is running for re-election in a Republican-leaning New York suburb. When she won her seat in 2024 her campaign website listed 13 issues important to her candidacy, ranging from pocketbook issues (“I will work to lower costs for hardworking families on Long Island,”) to the international issue of concern to many residents in the district (“I am a strong supporter of the State of Israel and will always support Israel as both our closest ally in the region and as the eternal home of the Jewish people.”)
That information was on Gillen’s campaign website as far back as Oct. 31, 2024 and as recently as Feb. 10, 2026. As of July 8, 2026 the information had been removed.
Gabe Evans
Rep. Gabe Evans, R-Colo., is a top target for Democrats this election cycle after having defeated a Democrat in 2024 by less than 1 percentage point.
As far back as July 17, 2024, the “Issues” page on his campaign website described his plan to “Defend American Values,” as a pledge to “Protect Freedom of Expression, Defend the Second Amendment, Protect Life at All Stages.” That page was visible as late as Nov. 28, 2024 but as of July 9, 2026, the “Issues” page had “been moved or deleted.”
By May 1, 2026, an “Issues” section was added to the bottom of the campaign’s homepage. While it included the “Defend American Values” blurb, “Protect Life at All Stages” was replaced with the phrase, “secure the rights of all Americans.”
The “Defend American Values” part of the “Issues” page was previously linked to another page on the campaign website, also titled, “Defend American Values.” That page said freedom of expression “should be defended at all costs,” that Evans would “unwaveringly” support the Second Amendment, and described his opposition to abortion with details of pregnancy loss experienced in his family. The “Defend American Values” page was on Evans’ campaign site as late as Nov. 8, 2024, but by July 9, 2026, the page said it “has been moved or deleted.”
Laurel Lee
When Florida’s Secretary of State Laurel Lee ran for a congressional House seat in 2022, her campaign website featured a picture of her standing among a group of people that included Gov. Ron DeSantis, who had appointed her to the position. The governor’s name was mentioned five times in her biography posted on the site. As late as May 2025, Rep. Lee’s website still featured a picture of her with DeSantis, though her biography mentioned him by name only two times.
But by Sept. 2025, Lee’s campaign website was revamped. Lee’s picture with DeSantis was replaced with a picture of President Donald Trump. DeSantis’s name was also removed from Lee’s biography, which now mentioned Trump twice.
As late as March 12, 2024, “The Issues” page on the website noted Lee is “a strong supporter of Governor DeSantis and his conservative agenda.” By June 2024, that sentence was edited to include Trump’s name and note “their proven track records of fighting for conservative values and the policies that keep America safe, prosperous and free.”
As late as July 2025, the “Issues Page” also noted she identified herself as “pro-life and pro-family.” By July 20, the page was no longer up, and the phrase “pro-life” no longer appeared on her campaign website, according to a Google search.
Bill Huizenga
As late as May 9, 2026, the “Issues” page of Michigan Republican Rep. Bill Huizenga’s campaign website highlighted his long-held opposition to abortion rights.
“The sanctity of life is close to Bill’s heart and dear to his family,” his website said, “Protecting life beginning with conception is a value that cannot be compromised and something that he will continue to fight for.”
The next month, the issue disappeared from that page of the website. A page that lists Huizenga’s endorsements from the Right to Life Michigan PAC and other organizations notes, “Bill’s other areas of focus include, protecting the sanctity of life …” That page was accessible in early May but, by July, it had vanished.
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Ella Rae Greene, Editor In Chief
