How Can the Democratic Party Get Its Mojo Back?
- Ross Bogen
- Aug 5
- 3 min read
Updated: Aug 6
Ever since the electoral debacle last November, Job One for the Democratic Party seems to be recovering its competitiveness, once exemplified by a strong advantage in the national popular vote. Democrats secured majorities, or at least pluralities, in all but one presidential election since 1992, even if the Electoral College didn’t always cooperate.
There has been no shortage of punditry over the last ten months, ranging from desperate handwringing to blithe confidence in the Administration’s uncanny ability to shoot itself in both feet.
But where are we now?
That’s too big a question to cover here, if only because there are still many competing assessments, and many ideas about what, oh what, needs to be done. However, two recent articles in The New York Times provide useful analysis and perspective:
Both were published on July 22 and offer a classic good news/bad news pairing.
The Bad News
Thomas Edsall’s piece, This Is a Realignment That Has Significant Staying Power, argues, rather ominously, that things may be worse than we thought. Despite some encouraging trends, Democrats are not benefiting much from Trump’s declining approval and may even be falling further behind.
He cites polling from the Navigator Group, comparing December 2024 focus groups with June 2025 polling, and additional surveys from battleground House districts in March. Across the board, results showed:
Low favorability
Declining credibility for congressional Democrats
Majorities stating Democrats do not “value work,” “look out for working people,” or “have the right priorities”
Frequent labels like “too politically correct,” “too liberal,” and “too elitist”
Why Credibility Matters
Edsall includes commentary from several analysts, including Stuart Gottlieb, a professor at Columbia, who explains why Democrats are not seen as a compelling alternative to Trump and the GOP. His takeaway?
“The standard advice to Democrats, ‘come back to the center! focus on affordability! protect migrants from deportation!’, is no longer effective because the Democrats have lost credibility with far too many swaths of voters, and the brand is deeply tainted.”
While this view should be taken with a grain of salt, it highlights a deeper issue that Edsall doesn’t name directly: an authenticity problem.
Voters may not reject Democratic values outright, but they do reject what they perceive as performative politics. Virtue signaling doesn’t move them. Tangible results do.
The “Show, Don’t Tell” Challenge
Progressive messaging strategist Anat Shenker-Osorio summed it up this way:
“It’s very obvious what voters want from Democrats: to show, not tell, they are standing up to this MAGA regime of bullies.”
This desire for real action may explain why performative acts, like Cory Booker’s 25-hour faux-filibuster, draw headlines but rarely deliver lasting impact.
The Good News
Thankfully, the companion piece by Robert Gordon and Jennifer Pahlka offers a more hopeful view.
They highlight Democratic-led cities and states taking smart, courageous steps to rebuild trust and improve governance:
Denver: Switched to performance-based layoff criteria
San Francisco: Embarked on a regulatory overhaul using AI
Maryland & Pennsylvania: Built in-house tech teams to reduce reliance on consultants
New Jersey: Used AI to improve service delivery
New York: Criticized for banning AI, potentially worsening service cuts
These examples are limited, but they show that when Democrats focus on delivering real results, they can lead with both innovation and integrity.
The Path Forward
Gordon and Pahlka acknowledge that reforms alone won’t fix budget shortfalls or undo the damage of the Trump era. But they argue that restoring faith in government is essential to defeating the cynicism MAGA politics thrives on:
“Leaders who choose reform over preservation may find that their constituents start believing in them again.”
In other words, the best way to fight back isn’t with slogans or stunts, but by delivering results.
Let’s hope more Democratic governments embrace that mindset, even when it involves risk and hard choices, because believing in government is essential to our brand.
Written by Ross Bogen
Member, Democratic Club of Greater Tracy
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