A new piece of Democrats’ midterm strategy: Being ‘practical’

WASHINGTON— Democrats are increasingly pushing to adopt a pragmatic focus when campaigning on affordability in the midterm elections, as some within the party push to move away from ideological debates.

Democratic candidates across the country are trying to win voters’ support by talking about real-life scenarios, framing other platform issues in economic terms and aiming to change the perception that Democrats are addressing them in the abstract, strategists say.

They see an opening created by voters’ focus on the economy and their ability, as a non-ruling party, to raise affordability as a key issue in the midterm elections as Trump’s economic approval remains low. Trump dismissed the issue to call Affordability is a “hype” by Democrats, but it also promises economic improvements.

“There’s been a learning curve in being able to take what Trump and the Republicans have done and make it happen. [candidates] “Whatever this happens, we come back to the real-world economic consequences,” said Alex Jacquez, a Democratic strategist who works in the Biden White House. “Maybe this is where [Democrats] In the recent past we have not always been able to establish the full connection from start to finish.”

He suggested that “the moment has now come” for the party to change its image.

Democrats’ focus on affordability and the economy have defined their medium-term message; It took into account high inflation, the effects of Trump’s tariffs, and high gas prices caused by the war in Iran. The party is trying to capture enough undecided voters to win a House majority in November, and some believe the Senate could also be within reach.

Polls show pessimism about the economy It increased Many Americans believe the country is in an economic crisis. Americans most view government leadership and economic issues as the country’s most important problems. Gallup poll.

Voters also increasingly disapprove of Trump’s handling of the economy. to contain working-class white voters which form a significant part of its base. One NPR/PBS News/Marist Poll Last month, Americans gave the president his lowest-ever approval rating on the economy, at 33%.

Speaking in Pennsylvania on Thursday, Trump said of affordability: “It’s a fake word they use. They caused the affordability problem. It’s called high prices.”

Democratic Rep. Adam Gray, who represents the purple Central Valley district and is a member of the center-left Blue Dog Coalition in Congress, said he believes voters are frustrated by Washington lawmakers’ failure to pay attention to what the public wants from government.

He pointed to Central Valley growers whose businesses have been affected by rising fuel and fertilizer prices, pressure on the labor market caused by immigration enforcement and changes in federal programs.

“How ordinary people experience politics is not like the ideological debates we have in Washington,” Gray said. “It’s the experience of doing something, whether it’s grocery shopping or going to the lake to go boating with your family and realizing that gas prices are through the roof or the road to the lake is poorly maintained.”

At a time when Democrats are debating how to embrace a party identity beyond opposing Trump and marked by intra-party fights between progressive and moderate candidates, some believe the “practical” tactic could offer a key to the party’s path forward.

In Texas, Democratic candidates point to the impact of data centers on water supply or the consequences of the state’s abortion ban, said Matt Angle, director of the Lone Star Project, a political research organization that works to help elect Democrats.

“The fact that Corpus Christi is running out of water… [or] “We have women dying because abortion services were not provided,” said Angle, and continued: “It is very important to talk about such things from a practical perspective, not from an ideological perspective. “I think Democrats are doing a better job than ever on this.”

“Real life happens on the field,” Angle added. “I think Democrats see that.”

Republican strategist Brittany Martinez said Republicans are successfully pursuing a similar strategy in 2024, and their attacks on Democrats for focusing on cultural issues could be successful in distracting Democrats from those messages.

“They’ve made it clear that’s the direction they’re trying to go,” he said of Democrats. “I also think sometimes there are outlier elements of the party that suck all the oxygen in the room and maybe derail that message.”

National Republican Congressional Committee spokesman Christian Martinez said Democrats’ economic record, including in California under Gov. Gavin Newsom, shows they have failed to prioritize working families.

“It’s ridiculous that Democrats are trying to make their own brand of kitchen table issues,” he said. “As Californians continue to live each day off the proceeds of the Democrats’ failed agenda, this only proves that their political brand has collapsed.”

Republican National Committee Chairman Joe Gruters said thursday At a summit organized by Washington-based news outlet the Hill, he said he was confident the party would retain the House and Senate and predicted optimism about the economy.

“He will fight for American workers every day,” Gruters said of Trump. “He will continue to do whatever he can to pull the nose up of the economy and lower prices in this country.”

But as Trump appears to be prioritizing other issues, Martinez said Republicans face an uphill battle to win over undecided voters.

“When the president makes fun of affordability and says it’s not a crisis, I don’t think that helps. [Republicans]“Democrats have an opportunity to take advantage of that right now,” Martinez said.

Both moderate and progressive Democrats see this moment as a chance to define what the party stands for beyond opposing Trump, and while the approaches differ, both draw on real-life arguments.

Usamah Andrabi, a spokesman for the progressive caucus Justice Democrats, said progressives have long framed a range of issues in economic terms.

“This has always been the playbook of progressive economics, and I think it’s time for other wings of the Democratic Party to catch up,” Andrabi said.

He said this also means not stepping back from other issues such as abortion, foreign wars and health care.

“It is always the right wing that tries to divide our societies on these so-called culture war issues,” Andrabi said. “Our vision for the future must be inclusive of everyone… This does not mean ignoring some people’s most pressing crises and focusing on something else, because they are interconnected.”

Jamie Henn, managing director of nonprofit communications lab Fossil Fuel Media, said climate advocates, for example, “effectively connect” climate to top midterm issues, including gas and energy costs, AI data centers and the Iran war, and encouraged Democratic candidates to do the same.

“Like many issues, climate is not a win by itself. It’s the way you talk about it and the way you connect it to kitchen table issues that matters,” Henn said. “Do it the right way—this isn’t a science lesson about global warming, it’s a story about how clean energy can lower your bills.”

Still, getting more candidates to get those messages could be an uphill climb, he said. Advocates in some areas, including climate, worry that their issues are being sidelined.

“There are Democrats who could use this jab but don’t,” Henn said. “We know the issues that climate has to do with, but [politicians] We need to do a better job of articulating messages clearly.