Faith, This week, Peggy Flanagan won her primary. Last week, Dr. Abdul El-Sayed won his. And all across the country, Democratic candidates who speak plainly about affordability and offer bold, easy-to-understand plans to lower costs for working-class Americans are energizing voters and winning elections. That's not a fluke. It's how Democrats are going to continue to win. In the days following these victories, there will be no shortage of opinions about what the results mean for our party. But the candidates who won made it crystal clear whose side they were on. And voters responded. I have a few longer thoughts below, but I believe it’s important we talk about the future of the Democratic Party and how our success depends on the choice we make right now. Are we going to carefully craft our policies to ensure that the rich keep right on getting richer, or are we going to build a party that ferociously and unapologetically serves the needs of working people? After we lost in 2024, according to some self-described experts, we lost because we were "too progressive." But for a lot of powerful people — from Wall Street to Silicon Valley to Washington — "too progressive" is often code for any economic agenda that asks the wealthy to give up even a little bit of their power or their profits. We're being told that if Democrats want to win again, we need to water down our economic vision. Let me be very, very clear about this: They are wrong. Revising our agenda to make wealthy donors more comfortable won't rebuild trust with the American people. A Democratic Party that worries more about offending billionaires than delivering for working people is a party that's doomed to fail. A Democratic Party that worries more about offending big donors than delivering for working people is a party that’s doomed to fail. Let’s just look at the basic math. By definition, the top 0.1% of the economic ladder doesn’t have a lot of votes. So when the question is raised whether Democrats should build our tent by sucking up to the rich, it’s sure not about attracting their votes. It’s about attracting their money. Most of these people are not interested in changing an economic game that is already rigged in their favor. In exchange for their financial support, they insist that the Democratic Party turn its economic agenda in a direction that mostly benefits the wealthy and further undermines the economic stability of tens of millions of families across this country. They can fund super PACs to prop up political campaigns for their chosen candidates. They can fund their own lobbying efforts. They can build or simply buy entire media empires to bend the news to their liking. And, as we’re seeing right now with AI and crypto, they can try to crush anyone who gets in the way of their business interests. So how does this affect winning elections? After the 2024 election, pundits sliced and diced demographic groups — across race, age, religion, and geography — to show how Democrats need to grow our coalition to win again. Yes, we need support from rural voters, men, and voters without a college degree. And yes, in 2025 we won back some of those folks, partly because Democratic candidates from every wing of the party ran against Trump’s betrayal of working people on affordability issues. But in the long run, to build a strong Democratic party with a sturdy big tent, it’s not enough to simply attack Trump. Democrats need to earn trust — long-term, durable trust — across the electorate. Trust that we actually understand what’s broken, and trust that we have the courage to take on our rigged system and fix it — even when that means taking on the wealthy and well-connected. Democrats weren’t always just the default option when the other guys were worse. We were once trusted by working people to fight for their interests. And we delivered — even against tough Republican opposition. Social Security, strong unions, the 40-hour workweek, overtime pay, Medicare, Medicaid, homeownership for veterans and first-time homebuyers, the Affordable Care Act. Over and over, we showed that we could fight and we could deliver. There is a temptation — in this moment of national crisis — to sand down our edges to avoid offending anyone, especially the rich and powerful who might finance our candidates. Yes, because of our broken campaign finance laws, Democrats need to raise a lot of money. But money is not the only ingredient for a successful election. When Democrats water down their economic platform to appeal to wealthy donors, whether the transaction is explicit or subtle, we squander trust with working people and the money just isn’t worth it. Democrats need a big tent. But there are two visions for what a big tent means. One vision says that we should shape our agenda and temper our rhetoric to flatter any fabulously rich person looking for a political party that will entrench their own economic interests. The other vision says we must acknowledge the economic failures of the current rigged system, aggressively challenge the status quo, and chart a clear path for big, structural change. If we are going to build a durable Big Tent, we must acknowledge a hard truth: The Democratic Party cannot pursue both visions at the same time. Either we politely nibble around the edges of change, or we throw ourselves into the fight. If Democrats want to continue to win elections, including the midterms, they need to read the room — or I should say, they need to read literally any room anywhere in America that isn’t filled with big donors. What does it mean to focus our agenda on an aggressive economic vision? At its core, the goal is simple. Make life more affordable for working people. To that end, the House and Senate passed the bipartisan ROAD to Housing Act — the most significant housing package Congress has approved in roughly three decades. The bill would help build more homes, reduce homelessness, cut unnecessary red tape, expand opportunities for homeownership, and bring down housing costs for families across the country. When we fight for policies that make life more affordable — and when we're willing to take on the corporate interests standing in the way — we show people exactly what kind of party we are. So as we celebrate both Peggy, Abdul, and others' democratic wins across the country, and as we keep planning for the upcoming midterms and the future of the party in general, here is what I know to be true: We win when we show we're willing to fight. We win when we run on the big changes it will take to build an economy that works for everyone. We win when we call out corruption. We win when we stand against the avalanche of corporate money trying to bury our democracy. We win when we prove — to working people, over and over again — that we know exactly whose side we're on. If you agree with this vision, and if you’re able to, please pitch in to support our campaign today. With your support, we’re fighting for Democrats to win big in 2026, 2028, and beyond by campaigning on big ideas that help working people. Thanks for being a part of this, Elizabeth  |
