A group of well-known younger Democrats who have a track record of winning close elections are launching a new organization with lofty goals to change the party’s reputation, attract fresh candidates, and challenge political orthodoxies they claim are impeding the party’s progress.
Majority Democrats that are part of the effort have differing opinions regarding the mistakes made by the national party. Some contend that a greater emphasis on the economy has been sacrificed in favor of a heavier reliance on anti-Trump emotion or abortion rights advocacy. Some claim that party officials are underestimating the extent to which voters’ trust in Democrats has been damaged by pandemic-era school closures or reflexive defenses of former President Joseph R. Biden Jr.’s reelection campaign.
However, the approximately 30 federal, state, and local elected officials who have joined the group so far largely concur that the Democratic Party needs to change its reputation as the party of the status quo and better address the issues that voters feel are most pressing, such as the affordability crisis. The organization supports the fact that many of its members have occasionally questioned the party’s establishment.
The initiative’s leader, Representative Angie Craig of Minnesota, cautioned that if we don’t create this big-tent party capable of winning majorities, we’re headed toward becoming the party of the permanent minority in terms of national elections.
Ms. Craig, who is also competing in a difficult Senate primary, warned that while the anti-Trump party may win a midterm election, it won’t create long-lasting majorities. As a party, we must make the case for our positions.
In part, Majority Democrats serves as a network and gathering place for elected officials to discuss, exchange best practices, and generate ideas. Plans for public voter engagement events beginning later this summer are being developed, and discussions are taking place regarding how the officials could politically mobilize on each other’s behalf.
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