Since the 2024 Presidential Election, Democrats have hit a low point, losing the presidency and both chambers of Congress.
Even as President Donald Trump’s popularity has sunk among the public, the opposing party has gained little from his failures and still polls below Republicans on most major issues. A poll in July showed the Democrats at a 35-year low favorability rating, hardly a good sign for a party looking to bounce back.
Even with Senate Democrats finally taking a stand against Trump with a drawn-out government shutdown, it’s hard to feel optimistic about their future chances. The generic midterm ballot shows Democrats with a measly 2.6% advantage over Republicans. That’s already a close margin, and considering the redistricting wars raging on, it’s possible that even winning the ballot may not earn a majority. The 2028 presidential election is a lifetime away, but the party is short of rising stars that might be suited for a presidential ticket. So, how can the party revive its image and have a genuine hope to win the next two cycles and beyond?
The first and most important thing the party must do is grapple with the fact that they have no clear positive vision for the U.S. economy. Democrats must create an economic plan that maintains their support for safety nets but also offers a clear path to prosperity.
Campaigning to build up the nation’s housing supply, lowering the cost of college and trade school and expanding access to healthcare and childcare would show voters that Democrats are focused on the issues regular people care about.
Another strategy Democrats must employ to rebuild their image is to recruit new candidates that aren’t afraid to criticize Establishment Democrats for their failures over the last few years. Ironically, Trump showed Democrats how powerful this was in his first campaign.
By attacking the GOP’s unpopular actions on free trade and the war on terror, Trump differentiated himself from the other members of his party that people had lost trust in and started carving a new path forward that expanded the Republican Party’s coalition. The next wave of Democrats would be wise to be more openly populist and blame Establishment Democrats for inflation and the handling of the end Joe Biden’s term and his initial bid for reelection.
Finally, Democrats must shed its current image as a largely upper-class urban elitist party and expand their tent on certain cultural issues to appeal to more voters across different parts of the country. This isn’t to say that Democrats should abandon their convictions or throw people under the bus. Democrats should still aim to be the party of abortion rights, LGBTQ rights and climate action since those are very important to a majority of the base.
Still, realizing that there can be room in the party for more conservative Democrats is essential for the party to win crucial swing seats, especially in the Senate.
For Democrats running in competitive and red-leaning states, the party should let them campaign how they need to on issues like fossil fuels, guns or even abortion to win elections.
It’s understandable that the thought of pro-gun or pro-life conservative Democrats is offensive to the morals and sensibilities of many liberals and progressives. Still, in the current political climate, a majority by any means necessary is imperative.
The Democratic Party must be unafraid to do what is necessary to rebuild itself as a majority party in every branch of government to deal with this existential threat.
