A gap is growing between American voters and establishment politics. In a poll conducted in 2016, only 10.5% of voters in the United States reported trusting the government more than half of the time. Less than 18% reported believing that the government cares about voter opinion. Mistrust in government has left voters on both sides of party lines desperate for change. In fact, both Democratic and Republican registrations have experienced a drop in recent decades, as many once-partisan voters no longer feel that their party can deliver on the values that once fueled their alignment, and have begun registering as independents. Donald Trump and the Republican Party have appealed to this desire for reform with extremist policies and nationalist ideology. In contrast, Democratic party leaders have responded with moderate policies and attempts to appeal to both sides of party lines. However, this strategy has proved weak and has cost us significant electoral success. In order for the Democrats to dominate and win elections going forward, it is crucial that the Democratic establishment recognizes constituents’ need for progress by promoting true blue candidates who represent substantial change and growth. 

Republican Party Strategy

Donald Trump’s election in 2016 marked the beginning of a radical shift in Republican Party ideology. From the outset of his campaign, Trump criticized establishment Republicans, claiming them out-of-touch with the American people and refusing their requests for him to tame his rhetoric. He differentiated his candidacy from those running against him by trading the long-held party ideals of fiscal and social conservatism for extremist policies and aggressive nationalistic rhetoric. He claimed that immigrants had taken American jobs, and promised the working-class improved employment and wages as a result of his strict immigration plans. He also promised a stimulated American economy through newly established tariffs on imported products. Trump met the American people’s desire for change with policy plans that seemed new and powerful. He was unafraid to challenge leaders of his own party, and he made extreme and often deeply offensive remarks about issues of class, race, and gender without hesitation. Competing candidates were unable to keep up by using traditional, tactful language and soft policies, and he quickly dominated the Republican primary. Donald Trump’s populist approach and commitment to unabashed extremism not only won him the 2016 election, but continues to shape what the Republican Party represents in politics today. 

How It’s Been Going: Democratic strategy in 2020 and 2024

As the Republican Party has embraced populist messaging and policy, Democrats have not kept up. Instead, they have chosen to shift towards the middle, opting for mild rhetoric and minimally controversial agendas, often in the name of adopting those Republican voters who no longer feel aligned with Trumpian politics. The issue with this strategy is that Democrats have lost, and continue to lose, their own voters in the process.

In 2020, Democratic nominee Joe Biden based much of his campaign on a comparison between himself and then-incumbent president Donald Trump, making the most appealing quality of his candidacy that he was simply a less dangerous alternative. But Biden was not exactly popular within the party. In fact, Senator Bernie Sanders was the leading candidate for months leading up to the primary, as Democratic voters felt his policies promised more real progress in government. Biden finished fourth among Democrats in the Iowa caucus and even fell to fifth after the New Hampshire primary. It was not until the fourth primary election in South Carolina, a state with a more diverse population, and often considered to be more representative of the Democratic Party on a national scale, that his campaign really gained momentum, and he began his path toward eventual nomination. 

Biden ultimately pulled off a victory in the 2020 general election. However, this was driven tremendously by voters’ fear of a second Trump presidency term. In a poll conducted on November 2, 2020, 55% of Biden voters claimed that they were placing their vote against Donald Trump, rather than for Joe Biden. Biden had a largely successful presidency. Between making major strides in climate and the economy through the Inflation Reduction Act and implementing effective vaccination strategy after inheriting the COVID-19 crisis at a record-high of cases, his presidency served as a necessary, and relatively strong period of social and economic recovery following Trump’s first term. However, by the time his first term came to an end, many of the changes he had promised were not seen through. He was unable to follow through on his plan to ban the sale of assault weapons and high-capacity magazines, his initiative to raise the federal minimum wage to $15 per hour fell through, and much of his goal for student loan debt forgiveness was left unfulfilled. These and similar shortcomings during the Biden presidency left Democratic voters feeling once again that they had failed to see the progress they voted for. When another moderate Democrat, Kamala Harris, became the nominee in 2024, the Democrats were unable to pull off another fear-driven victory. 

The Democratic nomination in the 2024 presidential election initially lay in the hands of incumbent president Joe Biden. Despite a widespread push for a new, younger candidate, Biden insisted that he was fit and enthusiastic for a second term. It was not until he abruptly pulled out of the running on July 21, 2024 that Kamala Harris announced her candidacy. She was considered by the Democratic National Convention through a virtual delegate voting process that culminated in a televised event on August 5th, where her nomination was announced. Democrats largely rallied behind Harris, doing what they could to push her candidacy to victory in the short time remaining before November. Notably, she was not directly nominated by voters as she was nominated by the party without running in any primaries. Her focus on demonstrating her approval among Republican leaders, such as Liz Cheney rather than progressive Democratic leaders, as well as her lack of a strong stance on Gaza, proved to create distance between her and both the young and working-class Democratic voters that should have represented the backbone of her base. When it came time for the general election, Harris struggled to earn the votes of some of her most crucial demographics. She lost white women by 4 points and was unable to achieve a decisive win over Hispanic voters. This left her with majority support only from the Black and Asian-American voter base, and, though she achieved a decisive win over Asian-American voters, they also experienced a 10 percent increase in ballots cast for Trump since the previous election. On election day, she lost nearly every swing state, as well as losing the popular vote by 0.5%, an almost 5 point drop from Biden’s victory in 2020. Ultimately, Harris’s candidacy stood as yet another instance in which Democratic voters felt misaligned with their candidate, and the consequence was a lost election.

The Path Forward

In assessing the aftermath of the Biden presidency, Alexander Burns writes, “After the failure of a presidency that promised a return to normalcy, Democrats and plenty of independent voters…embraced political disruption.” When Trump began his candidacy in 2016, Democrats took a defensive role. They deprioritized major progressive policy changes and focused on promoting those candidates who appeared to be the least controversial and the most palatable to unsatisfied Independent and Republican voters. However, as Burns explains, defensive politics can only hold strong mobilizing power for so long, and voters no longer believe it enough to return to the conventions of Democratic politics. Voters are looking for something to be excited about– a movement or candidate to support that will bring them something they want– rather than just protect them from something they are afraid of. 

One example of this is the recent election of Zohran Mamdani as mayor of New York City. Mamdani’s campaign was largely driven by the work of over 100,000 volunteers, making it “the greatest field operation by any political campaign in New York history.” But how did Mamdani, as a previously widely unknown name, inspire so many avid and active supporters? 

Mamdani entered the mayoral race with the primary goal of addressing the affordability crisis in New York City. He presented clear agenda items to achieve this goal, such as rent-freezes, free buses, and city-run grocery stores. When it came to the inevitable questions about the feasibility of these plans, Mamdani had well-articulated and substantive responses. Mamdani demonstrated a level of transparency that we rarely see from politicians on either side of the aisle. When asked how the city would afford to freeze rent, he gave a clear budget breakdown. When asked how his policies, largely focused on the working and middle class, would impact the wealthiest residents of the city, he explained exactly what taxation of the 1% would look like under his leadership, as well as the ways his policies would meet their desires for a safer city. Mamdani presented policies to his constituents that would have a clear, positive impact on their daily lives. He addressed the concerns closest to the hearts of New York City residents and provided clear actionable plans as to how they could see the change they desired. While Mamdani was often discussed as a radical candidate with concern arising around his identity as a Muslim and Democratic Socialist, hope and true enthusiasm among voters for the policies he proposed proved to mobilize people in a way that the Democratic Party’s defensive campaigns never had. In fact, Mamdani was able to win the votes of a significant number of Trump voters from the 2024 presidential election. While many remain unsure of the ultimate productivity of Mamdani’s plans for office, what his election has demonstrated is that strong progressive policies can be successful in winning over voters on both sides of the aisle. 

Success of liberal candidates like Mamdani does not mean, however, that moderate candidates cannot also find success, and that they do not still hold an important role in the Democratic Party. In the same special election as Mamdani, Abigail Spanberger of Virginia and Mikie Sherrill of New Jersey achieved monumental victories in their respective governor’s elections – a major success for those states and for the Democratic party as a whole. Moderate politicians on both sides of the isle have had, and will continue to have success and resonate with many voters across the country. However, we are at a point in American politics in which liberal voters no longer feel adequately represented by unchanging moderate policy, and it is important that their call for justice and recognition is fulfilled in the candidates who seek to represent them. As we have learned from the election of Zohran Mamdani, moderate policy is not a requirement for Democratic success; and while moderate Democrats shall maintain an important role in the party, it is crucial that Democrats also adjust to the call for greater liberal politics, and promote the candidates who represent their needs. 

Conclusion

Whether it be regarding issues of affordability, gun control, or education, voters in the United States are desperate for change. In recent years, the Republican Party has responded to this vulnerability with the rapid escalation of extremist policies that have threatened many foundational principles of the United States. In response, Democratic Party leaders have attempted to bridge the party gap by running experienced, moderate candidates for office. But these candidates often lack appeal of their own, and fear is not enough to drive people to the polls. Democratic voters can no longer be motivated solely by the need to defend against the actions of the right. Instead, they need candidates of their own presenting actionable policies to bring the change they hope to see in the country. In order to guarantee success in elections on a local and federal scale, Democratic candidates need the support of a number of independent or Republican voters. However, progressive policy does not have to sacrifice this. Voters are looking for a candidate that they believe they can trust to defend their interests. Clear progressive policy that acknowledges the issues presented by constituents can earn the faith of voters on all sides of party politics. New York Mayor Mamdani showed that. Now more than ever, it is crucial that the Democratic Party confront the ever-widening gap between its voters and establishment politicians. They must reassess the role Democrats play in politics today, and have the courage to demand and promote real progress.

Works Cited

Shek J. “Independent and Third-Party Voter Registration Is Growing. Here’s Why and What’s next.” NBC News. June 25, 2025. https://www.nbcnews.com/data-graphics/democratic-voter-registrations-decline-independents-surging-rcna213772. 

Jacobson, Louis, and Samantha Putterman | PolitiFact. “Fact Check: Did Joe Biden Keep These 99 Promises?” Al Jazeera. Accessed January 18, 2026. https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2025/1/15/fact-check-did-joe-biden-keep-these-99-promises. 

Smith, David. “Wrong Voters, Wrong Message: Progressives’ Autopsy Lays Bare Kamala Harris Failures.” US News. The Guardian, December 10, 2025. https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/dec/10/kamala-harris-election-autopsy. 

Green, Hannah Hartig, Scott Keeter, Andrew Daniller and Ted Van. “Voting Patterns in the 2024 Election.” Pew Research Center, June 26, 2025. https://www.pewresearch.org/politics/2025/06/26/voting-patterns-in-the-2024-election/. 

“2020 Presidential Election Results.” https://www.cnn.com/election/2020/results/president. 

Burns, Alexander. Democratic Voters Bury Bidenism and Embrace Disruption. November 4, 2025. https://www.politico.com/news/magazine/2025/11/04/democrats-elections-bidenism-disruption-00636860.