Since last November’s election, the Democratic Party has been wrestling with several questions: How to bring about a leadership change? How to develop an effective message that resonates with the public? How to get districts that President Donald Trump won to rebrand with the mid-term elections on the horizon?
On Capitol Hill, several younger freshmen senators are gaining prominence, and there are hints the party’s No. 2 leader may retire, although Illinois Sen. Dick Durbin has not officially tipped his hand on re-election plans.
Even so, there are several Democrats in the Prairie State exploring election campaigns to succeed Durbin.
Those things and some others happening along the political landscape may offer the Dems the generational change they have been longing for.
The median age for the Democratic caucus is 66 years old. If Durbin does indeed decide to retire, it would provide the opportunity to, as one political analyst put it, inject new blood into the upper echelons of the party for the first time in more than a decade.
Sen. Tim Kaine of Kentucky, who is 67, was blunt in an interview with Politico, saying: “We need that youthful energy in caucus leadership.”
There are a host of “relatively younger senators” waiting in line to assume leadership roles and take over for Durbin, and some political analysts say party leader Chuck Schumer. There are lingering questions about Minority Leader Schumer’s ability to, well, lead.
Among those waiting in line to bring about that “generational change” are Brian Schatz of Hawaii, Minnesota’s Amy Klobuchar, New Jersey’s Cory Booker, and Chris Murphy of Connecticut.
Their peers say what makes them so attractive is that they are opinionated, don’t hold back, and are media savvy.
Schatz is viewed as someone who may one day lead the Democratic caucus, though he hasn’t said anything officially.
Schumer faces a referendum on his leadership position during the midterms, and his Senate term is up for reelection in 2028.
So, that addresses the issue of leadership change. Now, to what the Dems are doing about messaging.
“There’s a lot of people out there asking Democrats to do more to take risks and do things differently,” Booker said.
It is no secret that they lacked a cohesive message in 2024.
Well, Ross Barkan, a political columnist for the Intelligencer, suggests that Trump solved the messaging problem for the Democrats.
He wrote: “Once Republicans take aim at Medicaid, the Democratic counter-message becomes simple: We will save you from chaos. We are the party of protecting health care and your 401(k). We are the party of making sure the VA and the SSA and the EPA still function. We can get you back to normal.”
For now, Barkan suggests that Democrats let Trump be Trump, and he invoked the words of James Carville, who advised that Democrats “roll over and play dead” for now.
Barkan’s rationale is that the president’s policies will fail and the economy will suffer at the expense of the American public, and then the Dems can deliver that message about getting back to normal.
The third issue for the Democratic Party — rebranding — is a math problem.
The Democrats can do all they want to fine-tune their messaging, but none of it will matter if they remain powerless. The issue is simple, cruel math.
Coming close to a majority, maintaining the status quo, leaves them powerless. The Democrats need to find a way to capture the rebranded districts that the Republicans and Trump commandeered in the last election cycle.
It’s not going to be an easy path.
If you’ve been following the news cycle, you know the GOP is determined to adopt new voting restrictions. If successful, those restrictions may make voting registration and voting itself more difficult.
And some political analysts say they could even call into question free and fair elections. Those same analysts say Dems must open their eyes to what’s going on.
What ultimately happens may depend on identifying vulnerable House members of the GOP and pinpointing where redistricting dominoes may fall.
In the Senate, the Democrats need to gain four seats to win the chamber. And there are some difficult challenges there. You have population shifts and political realities that analysts say are not in the Democrats’ favor.
And there’s a surprise generating headlines. Bernie Sanders and his heir apparent, Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, are attracting big crowds and generating headlines like: Sanders and Ocasio-Cortez Electrify Democrats Who Want to Fight Trump.
The two dismiss the notion of any concessions. They are sticking to the simple argument that Sanders has employed for years: “The system is broken, with the wealthy enriching themselves while others scrape by.”
The question is, will that message resonate in 2025? And will Ocasio-Cortez run for the White House or challenge Schumer for his Senate seat in New York?
Political realities can change. But political analysts don’t mince words. They say the Democrats MUST change and change dramatically.
Political analyst Daniel Cronrath joins me on this week’s episode to look at the challenges for the Democratic Party. Watch at 7 p.m. or 9 p.m. Tuesday on News4JAX+ or catch it any time on demand on News4JAX+, News4JAX.com or the News4JAX YouTube channel.