Democrats nonplussed by their prospects want ‘political exorcism’
Democrats are down in the dumps this inauguration weekend, and their hopes are not being lifted when they look at their prospects for winning back the White House in 2028.
As President-elect Trump prepares to enter the Oval Office for a second time, plenty of Democrats looking at a potential field that includes Vice President Harris, California Gov. Gavin Newsom and Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer give this answer when asked who they think can put the party back on top: None of the above.
“We need a political exorcism,” one top Democratic strategist said.
Two months of introspection and analysis have left party operatives feeling the best-known hopefuls could suffer the same fate as Harris. They say their party needs to find a candidate who better appeals to not only Democrats but the electorate as a whole.
“They all talk out of the same playbook and that same playbook has failed again and again and again. We have a major f‑‑‑ing problem,” the strategist said of the list of potential candidates being bandied about. “And we're headed to a multi-cycle wilderness if we think any of those people can fix it.”
One major Democratic donor agreed with that assessment. Asked who was most appealing among the top contenders, the donor replied, “Honestly, none of them.”
“How are any of them different from what we've had before?” the donor added. “It's like the old expression, insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting it to be different.”
In the days........
© The Hill
