Maybe focus on the latter instead of doubling down on the former
I’ve said it since 2017 at least, Democrats’ idea of finding a new gear is doing the same thing they’ve always done, the way they’ve always done it, just more of it. Democrats’ dogged “kitchen table” focus misses their most glaring problem: Democrats.
Polling from Data for Progress reached these conclusions about the popularity of progressive policies ahead of the 2018 elections:
Key Finding 1: Many progressive policies are incredibly popular
Key Finding 2: Progressive policies poll well across rural, suburban and urban voters
Key Finding 3: Some progressive policies are popular with Trump voters
Key Finding 4: Progressive policies are popular with 2016 nonvoters
Majority of Americans support progressive policies such as higher minimum wage, free college (from 2019)
Trump Wins While Americans Vote for Progressive Policies (from 2024)
Working-Class and College-Educated Voters Want New Progressive Economic Policies (from June 2025)
You get the idea. Democrats’ policy positions are popular. The problem is Democrats are not. In 2024 the country voted for Donald Trump, a con man, convicted felon, twice impeached, and instigator of the Jan. 6 insurrection.
Dems’ own polling shows massive brand problem ahead of 2026 (from March)
Democrats should focus on the economy, but “the brand is a mess,” Congressman Tom Suozzi says (from August)
The Democratic Party Brand Is Broken — and Moving to the Middle Won’t Fix It (from November)
Democrats keep pursuing policy answers to their political problem. They assume people voted for Trump because they are uninformed (low-information), or worse, simply racists. Yes, they assume that good policy speaks for itself. (It doesn’t.) Yes, Democrats suck at marketing their popular policies. But what they really suck at is selling Democrats.
Yes, recent polling suggests Democrats to be heavily favored in next year’s elections: (NPR, Nov. 19, 2025):
Heading into the 2026 midterm elections, there are some very big warning signs for Republicans in the latest NPR/PBS News/Marist poll.
The survey of 1,443 adults, conducted from Nov. 10-13, found:
- Democrats holding their largest advantage, 14 points, since 2017 on the question of who respondents would vote for if the midterm elections were held today;
- President Trump’s approval rating is just 39%, his lowest since right after the Jan. 6, 2021 attack on the Capitol;
- A combined 6-in-10 blame congressional Republicans or Trump for the government shutdown; and
- Nearly 6-in-10 say Trump’s top priority should be lowering prices — and no other issue comes close.
The party out of power generally does wll in midterms, as Democrats likely will next year. And maybe epically better. But what happens in 2028? More “kitchen table” issues? More failed attempts at voter education and vilification of Republicans (who are hard at work now on doing that work for Democrats).
Democrats shouldn’t abandon “kitchen table” issues. The economy is still a driver of voter behavior. But what Democrats need is for voters (and more of them) to feel that Democrats see them and have their backs. It would be better if there were policies passed (actions) that proved it. In the minority and with Trump in the White House that’s going to be tough to pull off.
Democrats need to be liked. Take a lesson from the 2024 election. Having popular policies does not win presidential elections (and the power to appoint Supreme Court justices) when people dislike and distrust you. Democrats need to stop pursuing policy answers to their political problem. They need an image makeover.
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