Words: Ava Scott-Nadal (she/her)
‘All that Democrats have left is the hill that they chose to die on’
With human rights issues, abortion access, and climate revolution on the line, there is a reasonable sense of pessimism and doom brewing amongst leftists all over the world. This seemed like an unlosable campaign; Harris is younger, more eloquent, and much closer to the traditional archetype of a President. She massively out-fundraised Trump, gospelled a compelling message to protect democracy, and rolled out a litany of progressive social policies that would make Ben Shapiro weep. So what went wrong?
The Trumpists have been charged with stupidity, sexism, racism, and xenophobia – all the things the Democratic Party allegedly stands against. The war cry of the Democrats, amplified by the Harris campaign, was that the Democratic Party is a party of reason, intelligence, and clarity, and if you don’t join their ranks you are the antithesis of all these tenets. But as callously put by Bill Maher, Trump voters don’t have the monopoly on stupid. Harris herself admitted that she struggled to explain her policy stances and reasons for running for President. This caused some outlets to charge her with running on charisma rather than coming with a plan centered on alleviating the pressures of the cost of living crisis.
The Democratic Party perhaps relied far too long on the legacy of minority groups in the US voting for them. They focused a lot on highlighting their minority position as a reason to vote for them, rather than actual Democratic policies that minority groups would agree with. Historically, Asian Americans have been a surety: among the registered voters of this population, 65% aligned with the Democratic Party, while only 27% identify as Republican. The Pew Research Centre reports that in the 2020 election, the Democrats took a sharp hit and the percentage who voted for Harris was only 54% with 39% voting for Trump.
It’s a similar story with Hispanic voters who overwhelmingly support the Democrats, with an affiliation of 63% of registered voters who are more likely to lean towards the party. However, in the exit polls, this dropped to 52% for Harris and increased from 28% to 46% for Trump. This should not come as a surprise to the Democratic Party who consistently ignored the polls that showed Latino men in particular to be heavily concerned about the economy.
The Guardian reported that Harris’s election style ran more like she was telling voters what to think rather than listening to them. This is becoming a staple of the Democrats, with a senior union leader specifying this as the reason why Harris couldn’t connect with low-income voters. Trump however runs on a platform of saying everything that voters are perceived as ‘not being allowed to say’. This includes blaming a weak border for economic collapse, or claiming that Haitian immigrants are terrorising neighbourhoods.
Trump’s campaign was built around the fact that voters were better off 4 years ago than they are now. With this economic obstacle in their way, why were Democratic voters so focused on trying to prove that they are smarter, morally superior, and more logical than their Republican counterparts? If the focus is trying to bully opposition voters into submission, then they have not learnt their lesson from the 2020 election.
The onus cannot be on the electorate to make the Democratic candidates electable. It does not work. Democrats were fighting an uphill battle with an inflation epidemic that was largely associated with Biden’s administration, so a focus on higher taxes for businesses and high earners landed sourly on a population who still believes in trickle-down economics.
The Republican Party now has the ability to initiate spending legislation and launch impeachment proceedings against officials, easily push through tax cuts, and introduce border control measures.
All that Democrats have left is the hill that they chose to die on: one of moral gesticulation, East Coast elitism, and an overreliance on demographics to indicate voters’ intentions. The Democrats need a serious reevaluation of election strategy, especially in light of Bernie Sanders’ charge that they have abandoned the working class. One of the major problems for Democrats this time around was that they were not united, with many choosing to split their ballots or abstain altogether.
There are lessons to be learned in defeat. The Democrats must focus on building long-term political infrastructure: winning local courts, strengthening grassroots networks, and refining their messaging to connect with a broader audience. This isn’t about abandoning principles, but about ensuring their vision translates into real power. This wasn’t a landslide victory for Trump in terms of raw votes; structurally, however, Republicans played the game better. If Democrats want to win, they need to play it differently.
