On Nov. 6, 2024, the Democratic Party lost the presidential election by 86 electoral college votes. This was a landmark election for the Republican Party, one that has often been described as reminiscent of the 1968 election. This was a landmark election in which Nixon won the electoral college vote by over 110 votes, despite only having a 0.7% (500,000 vote) advantage over the Democratic candidate.
Following this loss, the Democratic Party was in a state of disarray, and it would need a period of self-reflection to overcome that. Foreign policy escalation in Vietnam was marked as the reason for Johnson’s decline in popularity following a soaring election victory in 1964.This can be paralleled with some of President Joe Biden’s foreign policy decisions around the Israel-Gaza conflict.
All this is to say, almost 60 years later, the Democrats still have not learned the lessons of the past. Former President Donald Trump increased his support across almost every demographic, while Vice President Kamala Harris notably trailed a lot of President Joe Biden’s numbers from the 2020 election. This was especially true among minority voters, who voted for the former president in record numbers.
Now, the Democratic Party has lost its footing in the face of the Republican Party’s victory. The party will need to go through an intense period of introspection in order to find itself again.
The American people who want to hear their voices heard and represented in a tangible way, with policies whose effects go beyond rhetoric and into practical change. Pramila Jayapal, chair of the Congressional Progressive Caucus, stated that “we have become a party of elites.” This sheds light on the harsh reality that there is stark partisan misalignment in the country. For the first time in decades, the Republican Party is seen by many Americans from ethnic minority backgrounds as a champion of their rights and freedoms.
The results of the election provided concrete evidence of a lack of trust in the Democratic Party. This has caused many Democratic Party members and supporters to be up in arms about where the party goes from here. On Nov. 6, Harris stated that both the party and public should “never give up the fight for our democracy.” This was met with much adulation from the crowd.
The feelings of resignation across the Democratic Party after Harris’ loss were also an acknowledgment that the party needed a new brand a coherent message.
Throughout Harris’ media campaign in the presidential race, the most notable gap in her knowledge across interviews, debates and town hall meetings was her inability to effectively articulate how her economic plan would be primed to help people. In an interview with CNN’s Anderson Cooper in October, she struggled to effectively argue how her economic policy would in any way be different to Biden’s current initiatives around the economy. The lack of coherence here hindered Harris’ campaign as voters had an acute sense of Harris being out of touch with their needs and concerns.
The vast majority of Americans knew what Trump’s positions and policies were on Election Day. Unfortunately, the same cannot be said about the Democrats. The result of the election backs up this disconnect between public perception of Democrats and their positive reform agenda. It is clear though, that Democratic Party has a long road ahead if they want to earn back public trust by 2028.
People across all ages, ethnicities, religions and state demographics have become disillusioned with government. Now more than ever, people feel more government is not the answer to their problems. Donald Trump was an embodiment of this change. The Editor-in-Chief of Politico, John Harris, claimed that, “The Trump movement, no matter how much this appalls opponents, is a powerful expression of democracy.” Republicans are able to rally behind Trump effectively, and through this election victory, he has once again been able to present himself as a man of the people.
So, what do the Democrats need to do to increase their effectiveness?. For the millions of Americans who feel that their leader should implicitly understand their needs, it becomes clear that the Democrats missed the mark. This is something they must work hard to rectify whilst in opposition. The party must use the people they have elected to office at district and state levels to demonstrate that they are still champions of welfare, civil rights and fairness. They also must show that they aren’t just elites. They need to prove that they represent the people.
As Harris highlighted in her remarks after Trump’s victory: “Only when it is dark enough can you see the stars.” For the Democratic party, the path back to the White House may just depend on these lights in the darkness.
Sadly, Trump and his followers are not “interested in welfare, civil rights, and fairness” although this seems to be what your article says that Trump voters wanted and believed he would give. Instead, he represents all the things that humans should detest, and yet the majority of voters blindly saw and heard and perceived no truths, only what they wanted to see and hear– just as it was in Germany in the first half of the 20th century. I never understood how Germany gave power to Hitler until now, almost age 77, when I witnessed the rise of Trump. It is not the Democrat party that needs to wise up, it is the Human race that is once again at fault, weak and failing and the cause all decline on planet Earth, yet strangely given the top of the totem pole for the Animal kingdom (because yes, we can destroy all others).
The word “FAIR” is nowhere in the US Constitution. Neither is welfare or civil rights. The government should not give my tax dollars to others to pay their bills even if it is tuition, healthcare or food. By calling Trump and hist supporters “hitlers” shows your ignorance and understanding of history and the policies we support. Neither are we ‘socialists’. Make your own way and stop relying on working, tax paying Americans to foot the bill for worthless people. Our Founders gave us a Republic and something people never had: Individual Rights. You are the real dictator.