2026 U.S. Midterm Elections Open New Opportunities For Colombian Business Engagement With Congress -  
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2026 U.S. Midterm Elections Open New Opportunities for Colombian Business Engagement with Congress

27 de October de 2026

At an AmCham Colombia forum, former senior U.S. officials discussed the challenges and opportunities facing Colombian businesses ahead of the 2026 midterm elections, highlighting the importance of bipartisan support for the future of U.S.–Colombia relations.

BOGOTÁ, October 27, 2026 (AmCham Colombia) — With the U.S. congressional midterm elections scheduled for November 3, Colombia’s business community has an opportunity to strengthen its engagement in Washington and prepare for potential shifts in the U.S. political landscape, where bipartisan cooperation will be essential to sustaining the bilateral relationship.

This was among the key takeaways from “Midterms 2026: What’s at Stake for the United States, Colombia, and Latin America?”, a forum hosted by the Colombian American Chamber of Commerce (AmCham Colombia). The event brought together former senior U.S. government officials to examine the challenges and opportunities facing U.S.–Colombia relations ahead of the congressional elections.

Dan Restrepo, former Senior Director for Western Hemisphere Affairs at the White House National Security Council, emphasized that expanding and deepening Colombia’s engagement in Washington requires building relationships beyond the executive branch, including with Congress, think tanks, and the media. He also stressed the importance of framing bilateral cooperation around shared interests with the United States.

“The key is to make yourself relevant on the issues that matter to the people you’re engaging with,” Restrepo said, underscoring the need to identify priorities that align with U.S. interests while advancing Colombia’s own objectives.

Juan González, former Senior Director for the Western Hemisphere at the White House National Security Council, similarly noted that Colombia has the institutional and business expertise needed to navigate Washington’s increasingly complex political environment.

“Traditionally, Colombia’s foreign service and business community have been among the best in Latin America. They have the sophistication needed to navigate the political minefields in Washington, because Washington today is not the Washington of 2015 or 2001. Navigating that environment skillfully will be extremely important,” González said.

Bipartisan Support Remains Essential to U.S.–Colombia Relations

María Claudia Lacouture, President of AmCham Colombia, emphasized that the U.S. Congress plays a central role in shaping bilateral relations, making engagement with lawmakers across party lines particularly important.

“In the United States, unlike in Colombia, relations between two countries are not shaped exclusively by their executive branches. Congress plays a very significant role,” Lacouture said.

She added that the midterm elections would help determine the prospects for bipartisan cooperation, which she described as more important for Colombia today than at other points in the bilateral relationship.

Restrepo noted that bipartisan cooperation has been instrumental in achieving some of the most significant milestones in U.S.–Colombia relations, even though building that consensus has often been more complex than commonly acknowledged.

“The major achievements in the bilateral relationship between the United States and Colombia came under Republican-controlled Congresses and Democratic administrations,” he said.

Plan Colombia and the U.S.–Colombia Trade Promotion Agreement are examples of how cooperation across party lines has helped advance shared priorities, even when different parties controlled the White House and Congress.

Restrepo recalled that Plan Colombia began under President Bill Clinton, working with a Republican-controlled Congress, with significant involvement from Democrats in the Senate.

He also highlighted the bipartisan political dynamics surrounding the U.S.–Colombia Trade Promotion Agreement, which secured congressional approval in 2011 under President Barack Obama, following the 2010 midterm elections.

Colombia Remains a Strategic Partner for the United States

González explained that Colombia’s strategic importance has also been shaped by U.S. domestic political dynamics and its longstanding role in addressing regional challenges.

“Colombia is a key player in addressing the challenges the United States faces in Latin America, and demonstrating that will be very important. Colombia has also held a special place in U.S. policy because of its political and economic alignment, as well as the role it plays across the region,” he said.

The former National Security Council official also highlighted Colombia’s potential to expand its regional economic influence and strengthen commercial partnerships with neighboring countries.

“The business community should benefit from what is happening in Venezuela, build relationships with Guyana, and develop very close economic ties with Panama. Strengthening these connections and Colombia’s regional cooperation will be extremely important because that is how the United States views Colombia. This is not just a bilateral issue; it is a regional one,” González said.

He added that while cooperation between the two governments remains important, the private sector also has a critical role to play in managing and strengthening the relationship.

Watch the full AmCham Colombia forum: Midterms 2026: What’s at Stake for the United States, Colombia, and Latin America?

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