Playing it safe didn’t pay off for Democrats
Somewhere between performative action and active allyship, between uplifting everyone while championing the marginalized, there is a way forward.
Recently I was discussing the war in Gaza with a young friend who said, “Democrats really need to understand what it means to be an ally.” This struck me as a good example of why there were so many Democratic losses in November.
Our country’s and Democratic candidates’ nuanced positions on this complicated, tragic situation were unacceptable for many young voters. To them it wasn’t nuanced at all, which was why some either left the party or simply didn’t vote. Many young voters didn’t see Democrats doing enough to stop the violence or showing that we are allies of the people in Gaza.
After the November election Democrats were shocked to discover that Republicans are no longer considered to be the party of the elite—rather, it’s ourselves. The “party of the working class” was surprised to lose so many voters without college degrees, leaving Democrats wondering where we went wrong. After all, President Biden is the first president in US history to walk a picket line. Wasn’t that proof enough that Democrats are allies of workers?
While union voters strongly supported Kamala Harris in November, why did so many other workers think the Republican Party will offer them a better deal? It could be that while Democrats acknowledged that inflation was still a problem, we focused on all the other ways the economy was strong. It was as if workers’ kitchen table concerns were minor in comparison to how great everything else was going. For working class voters, acknowledging the problem but then not taking concrete actions to resolve it was a deal breaker.
Another surprise was that so many people of color voted Republican. Democrats have made enormous efforts to have an inclusive platform and diverse leadership. There’s identity-based caucuses at the national and state levels. President Biden has appointed historic numbers of racial and ethnic minorities to judicial positions. Democrats assumed that people of color, who have traditionally come out in large numbers for Democratic candidates, would do so again.
But a significant percentage of Latino and Black voters broke for Trump. Democrats didn’t account for the variety of opinions communities of color have about immigration, LGBTQ+ issues, and the economy. We often say that demographic groups aren’t monoliths. But Democrats campaigned like they are, which contributed to the losses.
Still, the Democratic Party works hard to be inclusive of all people. Biden’s judicial appointments and the first-time achievements of candidates of color in 2024 (like Angela Alsobrooks, Lateefah Simon and Yassamin Ansari) are great examples of how Democrats are making our government more equitable and representative.
But many voters don’t notice those milestones because they are distracted by their own economic situations. When you’re trying to figure out how to pay your bills, feed your family, and keep your business afloat, it’s hard to pay attention to the struggles of others. This is not selfishness, it’s simply survival. Democrats must learn how to support everyone who is struggling while also lifting up those who are marginalized.
In 2024 the Democratic Party fell into the traps of making assumptions and taking performative actions rather than truly being allies. At the same time, it got too far out ahead of voters with a lot of messaging about the needs of marginalized people and not enough focus on the thing voters of all stripes were concerned about most: the economy.
That’s the crux of the problem. How can Democrats balance progress on social and cultural issues with addressing the needs of Americans who are struggling to get by? How do we focus on working class concerns at home while injustices are happening across the globe that many voters expect the US to take moral action against?
How Democrats answer these questions has serious consequences. Taking a side on any controversial issue risks losing the support of a large portion of members. It can mean a leadership shakeup, disaffected members breaking off into factions, disgruntled donors withdrawing their financial support, and, ultimately, losing elections.
But embracing nuance to avoid controversy, making assumptions, and acting performatively are strategies of an overly cautious political party trying to be all things to all people. Instead of taking positions that align more closely with the values in our platform, in 2024 the Democratic Party tried to play it safe and ended up alienating the very voters we were trying to reach.
The future path for Democrats is neither easy nor clear. Somewhere between performative action and active allyship, between uplifting everyone while championing the marginalized, there is a way forward. We have less than two years to figure it out.