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MIDTERMS - The Democratic Party now faces the test of lifetime relevance. It must now advance a compelling socio-economic and political agenda that reflects the needs and yearnings of those who abandoned the party. The mid-term election is do-or-die for the Democrats. If they fail to become the majority in Congress, the disaster that Trump has already caused during his first eight months in office will pale compared to the damage he will inflict during the next 40 months of his presidency.
Trump won the popular vote precisely because Black, Hispanic, and middle-class voters turned out for Trump in larger numbers than in 2020, or decided to stay home entirely. They felt sidelined and struggling with little or no prospect of lifting themselves out of their doldrums. Trump offered a compelling narrative with promises he never intended to keep, music to the ears of disenchanted Americans who wanted to know that someone was listening to their struggles.
Three major ailments have plagued the Party: the absence of younger, visionary, and articulate leaders, the lack of a compelling socio-economic agenda responsive to the public’s needs and aspirations, and finally, the inability to rally around a unified issue-based agenda.
The Need for New Leaders
The Democratic Party is at a juncture where the stakes cannot be higher. New, fired-up leaders are sorely needed to stand up to Trump in the wake of his onslaught on democracy, corruption, inflationary policy, and neglect of the middle class and the poor.
On the national stage, California’s governor, Gavin Newsom, offers an example of the type of national leader the Democrats desperately need. He is decisive, articulate, and visionary, and has the courage to confront Trump at every turn. Newsom has been out not only talking about Trump’s violation of the Constitution, mischiefs, and misdeeds, but also offering alternatives to Trump’s outrageous domestic and foreign policies. He calls on every Democrat to fight fire with fire and challenge each of Trump’s orders adversely affecting the American public.
Other relatively young Democratic leaders rising to national prominence include Illinois Governor J.B. Pritzker, who is an ardent critic of Trump. In contrast to Trump, he focuses on the economic growth of the middle and lower classes, tackling climate change, and expanding healthcare access. Senator Chris Murphy of Connecticut has been vocal against Trump, pointing out the critical importance of financial security measures, improving mental health services, and addressing climate change concerns. New Jersey Senator Cory Booker is another outspoken leader and one of Trump's most intense critics, focusing on criminal justice reforms and economic opportunity initiatives.
On the local level, Zohran Mamdani, who won the Democratic nomination for mayor of New York City, is among the new breed of leaders the Democrats must welcome. He represents a new generation of Democrats, which is precisely what many cities around the country need. Yes, he’s young and untested, but I’d rather have someone with limited experience to take on the old establishment than old-guard Democrats who remained wedded to policies that have run their course.
Mamdani rose to the top by spending months meeting one-on-one with those disgusted with the old establishment and listening to their needs and yearnings for constructive change to better their lives, which the Democratic Party has neglected.
A Responsive Democratic Agenda
The Democrats must enlist civil society, faith groups, and unions not to merely settle on criticizing Trump’s defunct foreign and domestic policies but to provide viable alternatives that would greatly benefit the public at large.
Tariffs
Trump's arbitrary tariffs have already proven to be highly counterproductive. Among other adverse consequences, they raised costs for American consumers on imported goods, triggered retaliatory tariffs from different countries, hurt US exports, disrupted global supply chains and business planning, and strained diplomatic relations with key US allies and trading partners.
The Democrats should make it clear publicly and repeatedly that they would roll back or reduce tariffs to lower costs for consumers and ease pressure on importers. They should pledge to strengthen trade relationships and negotiate new fair-trade agreements to smooth out international relations and help exporters, offer targeted relief or temporary subsidies to industries hard hit by tariffs to help them recover, promote policies that encourage domestic production and innovation, and reduce reliance on imports.
Immigration
It is hard to explain the pernicious impacts of Trump’s immigration policy on American businesses, not to mention its dreadful humanitarian consequences. It has led to labor shortages in industries reliant on immigrant workers, such as farming, and has injured the US’ global reputation due to allegations of inhumane treatment. The legal immigration processes became more backlogged and complicated, causing a chilling effect on immigrant communities. Immigrants have been arrested after showing up to their scheduled immigration court hearings, discouraging engagement with public services out of fear of deportation.
The Democrats ought to engage the public on what they would do about immigration once back in power by taking several measures, including: reuniting separated families and providing support and services to address trauma, streamlining and modernizing the legal immigration process to reduce backlogs, restoring protections for DACA recipients and creating a pathway to citizenship, engaging with international partners to rebuild the US’s reputation for human rights, and providing a legal pathway and worker visas to meet labor market needs and reduce shortages. This country was built on the multifaceted contributions of immigrants from all corners of the world, which made America great and unique, and it should continue to respect that heritage.
Acting on an Issue-Based Agenda
It will be an uphill battle for the Democrats to regain power, as the odds have been stacked against the party for many years. According to the New York Times, “The Democratic Party is hemorrhaging voters long before they even go to the polls. Of the 30 states that track voter registration by political party, Democrats lost ground to Republicans in every single one between the 2020 and 2024 elections — and often by a lot. That four-year swing toward the Republicans adds up to 4.5 million voters, a deep political hole that could take years for Democrats to climb out from.”
For this reason, the Democrats have no time to spare; they must regroup and act on issues that are not necessarily left-leaning but popular and that the public needs, even if they fall outside the traditional Democratic party policies. Conversely, the Democrats should remain true to specific public programs considered “leftist.” This would include a universal healthcare program, investment in infrastructure projects that appeal to a broad range of voters, and creating jobs while addressing climate change.
The Democrats should also embrace centrist programs, including expanding affordable housing initiatives, a private partnership to build more middle-income housing, and easing the affordability crisis in cities and suburbs. To further widen the Democrats' public appeal, they should also embrace vocational training and apprenticeships to boost employment without expanding government programs, and enhance border security in conjunction with streamlining legal immigration reforms.
By 2026, Gen Z and Millennials will make up nearly half of eligible voters. These are the most diverse generations, and they lean progressive on key issues. They consume most of their news online and are disproportionately vulnerable to AI-generated disinformation on social media. Democrats must build rapid response teams, track propaganda, and educate voters to recognize and resist manipulated content.
Finally, Trump, who is concerned that the Republicans may lose the House of Representatives in next year's midterm elections, asked Texas Governor Greg Abbott to redraw the state’s electoral map to gain 4-5 additional seats for the GOP. Blue states like Illinois and New York should follow Newsom’s move to redistrict their state in retaliation. The California state Legislature already sent two redistricting bills to Newsom, which he signed on Thursday. Together they would offset, if not exceed, any gain that Texas might reap from redistricting. Moreover, the Democrats will have to be ready to challenge Trump’s pending executive order to ban voting by mail, which favors Democrats, but mainly because voting by mail falls under the purview of the States.
To be sure, the Democrats must build on the growing public discontent with Trump's policies, which are tearing this country apart. The midterm elections offer a golden opportunity to flip at least one of the Congressional chambers to stop Trump in his tracks. Failing to do so would be at the Democrats' peril.
(Dr. Alon Ben-Meir is a retired professor of international relations, most recently at the Center for Global Affairs at NYU. He taught courses on international negotiation and Middle Eastern studies.) [email protected] Web: www.alonben-meir.com
