The Democratic Party experienced unexpected losses during the elections on November 5, 2024, as they lost the presidential race and their majority in the Senate, while Republicans maintained their majority in the House of Representatives, paving the way for a Trump presidency characterized by tight control over laws, legislations, and budgets. This defeat has prompted Democrats to reflect on the party’s shortcomings that contributed to their electoral loss and to begin searching for a new strategy to reclaim their standing among voters in the upcoming elections.
Democratic Losses
Several reasons contributed to the Democratic Party’s loss of majority seats in both the House and Senate, as well as the White House. Here are some key factors:
Harris’s Failure to Separate from Biden: Democratic candidate and Vice President Kamala Harris failed to establish an independent identity from President Joe Biden, leading voters to perceive her as an extension of Biden’s administration, which they found unsatisfactory on multiple levels. This included economic policies that resulted in rising prices for goods and housing, causing frustration among American voters. Most national polls predicted a greater confidence among voters in Trump’s economic management compared to Harris.
Loss of Latino and Black Voters: Although these voters had historically supported the Democratic Party, in the elections on November 5, whether for Congress or the presidency, they leaned towards voting for Republicans. For Latinos, one of the reasons was opposition to the Democratic administration’s immigration policies, which exacerbated issues at the U.S. border. Meanwhile, Black voters felt the economic pressures that intensified with rising prices.
Republicans Launched a Strong Campaign: Despite the numerous problems associated with the elected President Trump and the criminal charges against him, he and the Republicans succeeded in turning those issues into campaign advantages. They emphasized the Democratic Party’s economic failures and discussed its liberal policies regarding LGBTQ rights and support for transgender rights among teenagers, which alienated many voters who opposed these ideas. Additionally, they highlighted foreign policy failures, particularly Biden’s role in escalating conflicts in the Middle East, contributing to the loss of votes from Muslim and Arab voters in Michigan, as well as the chaotic withdrawal from Afghanistan that allowed the Taliban to regain power after two decades of costly American involvement.
Party Plan
There are significant divisions within the Democratic Party right now, reminiscent of 2016 when Democratic candidate Hillary Clinton lost the election to Trump—though not in the popular vote—over the necessity of deep reforms within a party that has recently suffered damage to its image and standing among voters. Some Democrats have expressed their views on this matter. Although the party has not yet begun to implement these suggestions, key proposals can be highlighted:
Building an Identity that Appeals to the Working Class: Progressive members of the U.S. Congress have stated that the Democratic Party has “abandoned the working class,” and has become an “elite party.” This includes Progressive Senator Bernie Sanders from Vermont and Pramila Jayapal, head of the Progressive Caucus in Congress. There is consensus on the need to re-attract the American working class, who have traditionally been inclined to support Democrats. This is a point of contention between progressives and moderates within the party. DNC Chair Jamie Harrison emphasized that “President Joe Biden is the most pro-labor president I’ve seen in my lifetime,” asserting that the party has not abandoned the working class, but rather defended its rights. However, voting trends indicate that the working class did not support Harris and the Democrats.
Expanding the Democratic Party’s Agenda: Currently, there is debate within the party around the effectiveness of its agenda. Democratic politicians are focusing on LGBTQ rights, transgender rights, abortion rights, and addressing the status of immigrants at the expense of issues that concern American voters, especially those from low-income backgrounds without higher education, contributing to losses in swing states. Newly elected Democratic representative from Texas, Henry Cuellar, noted Hispanic voters’ concerns regarding federal food, housing, and health support for undocumented immigrants. This implies that the party needs to focus on issues that matter most to voters and adopt stronger policies to attract them.
Democrats are also discussing ways to protect the legislative gains they achieved recently, particularly as many sectors are expected to suffer under a Trump administration and Republican control of Congress, increasing the likelihood of repealing some executive orders and obstructing funding for legislation. In light of this, there are proposals to form blocks within Congress to delay the passage of Trump’s legislation or decisions, such as his intended “mass deportation” of undocumented immigrants, either by pressuring Biden to sign executive orders allowing for expedited citizenship for those immigrants or by approving bipartisan infrastructure funding legislation and the CHIPS and Science Act and Inflation Reduction Act, amidst concerns that Trump may shift funding for those legislations. Should this occur, it would help protect the gains American voters have achieved during Biden’s administration and provide Democrats with a talking point about the accomplishments of Biden’s administration.
Promoting New Democratic Faces: The Democratic Party acknowledges its need to introduce new faces that can more effectively appeal to American voters. Harris’s loss in the election was partly due to her lower popularity compared to the former President Trump, a situation mirrored by President Biden, who has not attained the same level of popularity and status as former Democratic President Barack Obama. This means that presidential candidates should be among the most popular and appealing figures, as voters generally do not favor overly intellectual personalities in political discourse, but rather prefer relatable individuals who communicate in straightforward, accessible language. This has been interpreted as a reason for the Democrats losing the working class vote, indicating that Democrats also need to introduce new figures from the working class who speak the people’s language.
Launching Media Campaigns Against Republican Claims: Some progressive Democrats, such as Representative Greg Casar from Texas, who will run for leadership of the progressives in Congress next month, believe that Democrats need to correct the claims and allegations that Trump propagates, such as the assertion that rising housing prices are due to immigrants rather than the economic policies in “Wall Street,” and that the decline in healthcare services in the United States is not due to pressures from immigrants, but rather due to the high costs of medications and medical devices imposed by major pharmaceutical companies that Trump defends, criticizing policies that negotiate drug prices.
In conclusion, the main issue currently facing the Democratic Party lies in internal divisions over the nature of the reforms needed to regain the party’s position among American voters across various electoral groups that they have lost this year. Furthermore, the most pressing problem is identifying the issues that the party’s agenda should focus on, which must be matters of concern to voters, primarily economics. The party needs to adopt stronger messages regarding the economy, immigration, and foreign policy, but the use of unclear language has contributed to alienating millions of Americans, particularly in swing states that helped Trump win the election, as well as resulted in the Democrats losing some congressional seats.
