In the wake of an electoral defeat that shook their party to the core, Democrats seem at odds over the seriousness of their political plight. Some Democratic figureheads dismiss Donald Trump’s triumph over Kamala Harris as a mere outcome of a widespread resentment against incumbents, driven by raging inflation, affecting elections globally. However, some perceive the state of the Democratic Party as a dire crisis, necessitating an immediate reconstruction of its image, messaging, and economic principles.
Defying expectations, Trump won every contestable state during the Nov. 5 elections, becoming the first Republican to secure the national popular vote since George W. Bush in 2004. Still, almost half the nation voted against him. With the final vote tally yet to be concluded, Trump obtained the popular vote by a thin margin of 1.6 percent.
He claimed the seven critical swing states by around 760,000 votes from the total of more than 151 million votes cast across the country. The result was a grave warning for the Democratic Party, leading many to question the party’s ability to address the needs and concerns of ordinary citizens.
The Democrats lost support among nearly all demographic groups, with their influence remaining only among affluent households and those with a college education. As the party grapples with its internal health, the situation becomes ever more crucial. Donald Trump is set to step back into the White House on Jan. 20, promising to enact a ‘Make America Great Again’ agenda that portends significant domestic and global repercussions.
Those who managed to stick around in the Democratic Party, diminished and conflicted, pose the only organized opposition to Trump and his emboldened MAGA supporters. However, currently, the Democratic Party finds itself directionless, failing to reach a consensus on the political issues at hand and solutions to those problems.
In a bid to identify their failures in the Nov. 5 election, various Democratic factions and leaders have initiated post-election assessments. But, a collaborative effort seems to be missing. Priorities USA, a front-line Democratic Party super PAC, is expected to reveal its post-election analysis this week.
Among several recommendations, the group is anticipated to suggest Democrats foster better communication with voters rather than pollsters, and propose a more progressive alternative to Trump’s MAGA movement. If significant transformations are not implemented soon, they risk losing even more key segments of their base in future elections, particularly among the youth and people of color.
Those advocating for extreme changes often belong to the fringe left wing of the party, whose opinions are frequently disregarded by entrenched Democrats dictating party messaging, strategies, and policies. As a sharp contrast to the Democratic leadership’s pro-status quo stance, the general public is incensed and demands reform.
Post-election, Representative Ro Khanna from California, an ally of Sanders and believed to be a potential future Presidential candidate, has pushed for a complete makeover of the party’s economic narrative. More specifically, he champions a ‘New Economic Deal’ that aims to yield high-paying jobs for the middle class.
Democratic strategist Waleed Shahid postulated that Harris’ loss laid bare the Democratic Party’s significant problem of losing support among working-class, poorly informed non-college-educated voters. Several people in top-tier party positions appear quite disoriented, unsure of how to build the kind of diverse coalition necessary for long-term, meaningful change.
A litmus test for the party’s future is the upcoming national committee election to choose a new leader. The DNC plans to elect a new chair in February, following a series of four candidate forums in January. Whether the delegates will accept an external high-profile persona or an insider well-acquainted with the complex operations of the party’s political machinery remains unclear.
The call for comprehensive changes is sparse. Ben Wikler, the Wisconsin Democratic Party Chair who announced his candidacy for DNC chair on Sunday, believes that Democrats need to adopt a new communication strategy to connect with voters who are not keen on politics.
He praised Trump’s mastery of the media landscape, suggesting that his party could learn a lesson or two from it. He proposed increasing engagement with non-political and right-leaning news platforms and podcasts.
According to Wikler, the minor shift to the right was primarily among those most impacted by inflation and least engaged with the news, indicating that the move toward Trump might not be lasting. He believes that Democrats could still have a chance to regain their standing. However, he also seems to imply the high likelihood of Trump’s disastrous tenure repeating history.
Such a landscape paints a bleak picture of a divided Democratic party, stripped of effective leadership and a coherent strategy. As they grapple to understand their failures and reevaluate their future, one cannot help but wonder if their disregard for the electorate’s sentiment might just be the starting point of a more profound crisis.