Democratic candidates are trying to find a new way to compete with Republicans on social media, but they still seem to be missing a vital piece of the puzzle.

Former Obama campaign manager David Plouffe recently wrote an opinion column for The New York Times with the headline, “The Old Way of Campaigning Won’t Cut It Anymore.” In it, he details what exactly the Democratic Party needs to be doing differently ‒ showcasing candidates with an in-house content creation arm that is as robust as other areas of the campaign.

“To win today, you need to harmonize your message across the ever-growing list of ways people are reachable: traditional TV, connected TV, Instagram, Facebook, YouTube, TikTok, Reddit, podcasts, Snapchat, radio, video games, community events, door-to-door canvassing, phone calls and texting,” Plouffe writes.

He mentions some case studies of candidates – Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez of New York, U.S. Senate candidate James Talarico in Texas and New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani – to show Democrats who are doing things the right way. Each of these politicians is just as focused on how they’re messaging as they are on the content of the messages themselves.

While I agree with the premise that Democratic politicians do need to be taking social media seriously, it seems Plouffe is one of many pundits glossing over what works for progressive Democrats and Republicans alike. Campaigns........

© USA TODAY