The Democratic Party missed the bar this election cycle. A campaign focusing on the preservation of democracy and the uplifting of ideals fell short, and working class voters let them know it.
Across the country, large portions of working class and rural voters sided with President Elect Donald Trump, overpowering the urban pockets of democratic votes especially in key states like Pennsylvania, Georgia, and North Carolina.
Prominent politicians were quick to point out the reasons behind the party’s loss, including Senator Bernie Sanders of Vermont who, in a statement released on Nov. 6, noted, “It should come as no great surprise that a Democratic Party which has abandoned working class people would find that the working class has abandoned them.”
The Chair of the Democratic National Committee, Jaime Harrison, took issue with Sanders’ argument, calling it “straight up BS.”
“Biden was the most-pro worker President of my life time – saved Union pensions, created millions of good paying jobs and even marched in a picket line and some of MVP’s plans would have fundamentally transformed the quality of life and closed the racial wealth gap for working people across the country,” Harrison wrote on X.
While Vice President Harris did have campaign objectives surrounding her “opportunity economy” and her plan to deliver child tax credits, cut taxes for families, and lower grocery prices, it could be argued that it was just not communicated effectively in comparison to her campaign messages about democracy.
However, some Democrats still delivered responses similar to Sanders’. Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez took to Instagram in a live video following the Vice President’s loss, also acknowledging the mobilization of working people, “Our main project is to unite the working class in this country against a fascist agenda. Period,” the representative told viewers.
The Democratic Party’s failure to identify with more working class Americans, combined with the inability to adequately separate Vice President Harris from President Joe Biden, was a nail in the coffin of the Harris-Walz bid for the White House.
According to an NBC News Exit Poll, 43% of surveyed voters said they were dissatisfied with the current state of America, and as Sanders stated, “While the Democratic leadership defends the status quo, the American people are angry and want change. And they’re right.”
Most people wanted a change candidate, but for many, Harris was a representative of a continuing road that they did not want to go down, especially with inflation currently sitting at 2.4% based on the U.S Bureau of Labor Statistics as compared to 1.2% in 2020.
This is evidenced by exit polls from the Washington Post which reported that the ability to create change was the most important issue to 28% of voters, with 74% of those believing Trump would be the one to do that.
Why, then, do so many Americans feel seen by a billionaire?
The President Elect touts himself as a self-made man, though he was born into a wealthy family who propelled him into his years of riches, and that image persists among many voters, indicating a complex situation fueled by populist rhetoric, nationalist sentiment, anti-establishment anger, and aspirational mindsets.
The simple fact that he is a life-long businessman positions him as a Washington outsider, a stark contrast to Harris’ decades of service as a prosecutor, attorney general, senator, and now vice president.
Trump’s campaign message focused heavily on inflation and the future of the economy, attacking head on the issues many Americans face on a daily basis including grocery store receipts, credit card bills, and gas prices. These are the day-in and day-out stresses for millions of Americans, and the lack of respect routinely shown towards American workers by elites makes people feel incredibly disregarded, so it can be understood how Trump’s “call it like it is” tone resonated.
But, what must be remembered is that, despite nuances and specificities, this isn’t new. American workers have felt a sense of righteous anger towards those in power for decades, and justifiably so, with trends leading back to the Great Depression. Some feel represented by the Democratic Party and many feel seen by left-leaning progressives, but there is still a huge portion of people that feel cast-aside by Democrats’ rhetoric.
Responding to that desire for change and meeting people where they are is crucial, and if the Democrats have any hope to win the presidency in 2028, there needs to be a greater effort exerted to understand and speak to the class issues at the heart of our nation.
As Sanders wrote, “Will they understand the pain and political alienation that tens of millions of Americans are experiencing?”