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ELECTION ANALYSIS
On Monday, writer John Nichols joined Our Revolution’s live organizing call to breakdown the election results and draw lessons to help prevent such a defeat from ever happening again.
Nichols attributes Harris’ loss to 3 main issues. First — the need to represent change, “and the first place to do that was on Gaza,” he said. “It should’ve started at the convention with a Palestinian speaker on stage.”
The second mistake was reaching out to ‘never Trump Republicans’ rather than progressives. “The strategy of taking Liz Cheney across the Rust Belt was never going to move votes — in fact, it may have moved some people away,” Nichols said.
And finally, he pointed out the failure to appeal to working class voters or center unions in the campaign. “She had an opening to talk about how Trump’s approach to trade actually harmed American workers in states like Wisconsin, Michigan, and Pennsylvania.”
Nichols said, “If Harris had taken those days she spent with Liz Cheney and instead went to union halls with Shawn Fain or Bernie Sanders, I think you’d have a very different result.”
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Similarly, Our Revolution executive director Joseph Geevarghese pinned Harris’ loss on taking the progressive vote for granted in an op-ed in The Hill:
“In short, her team of veteran campaign strategists and consultants misjudged the electorate. They assumed, as they did in 2016, that this election would be a referendum on Donald Trump, when it was actually a referendum on the Democratic Party’s shift from the needs of ordinary Americans.”
“Absent from the campaign trail was any real commitment to boost the minimum wage, expand Medicare and take on pharma, or blunt private equity fueling the housing crisis,” Joseph wrote.
Like John Nichols, he believes Harris might have seized the moment with a powerful populist economic message, naming real corporate adversaries. “Instead, she courted billionaire Mark Cuban and war hawk Liz Cheney,” he said.
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But enough lamenting the loss. It’s time to look forward. With elections for new DNC leadership slated for early 2025, we are looking to have an outsized voice in shifting the direction of the DNC and all 57 state parties (including territories).
Our Revolution Board Chair Larry Cohen spoke to thousands on our call Monday about the prospects for change. Larry, a longtime DNC member, led the Unity Reform Commission after Bernie 2016 which got rid of superdelegates.
Now, Larry says, “the number one party reform is to get dark money out of the nominating process” — and he sees an opportunity for progressives to build out state and local parties, which have long been neglected.
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As we work to make the Democratic Party more democratic and responsive to the grassroots, we want to hear from YOU! Take our survey to weigh in on changes you want to see in the party.
Some of the preliminary results of the survey indicate that progressive priorities include getting dark money out and ensuring a more democratic primary process — no more coronations!
Many of you also say you’d like to see corporate consultants removed from party leadership, more financial transparency, and greater investment in state and local organizing. We couldn’t agree more!
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Our Revolution Board Member and Nebraska Party Chair Jane Kleeb spoke directly to the need for party-building on our organizing call.
Jane advocated for more funding for state parties for grassroots organizing, which currently get just 8% of the DNC annual budget. And, she called for us to help elect more progressives and populists within the DNC to impact decisions on budgets and messaging to reflect the needs of local communities.
Jane noted one major red flag she noticed with the Harris campaign was the use of a data model that big consultants came up with — unfortunately, it included every “Cheney Republican” but did not target all Democrats with mail-in ballots.
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Corporate Dems like Rahm Emanuel are already jockeying to re-take control of the Democratic Party. We can’t let the Establishment win and continue to ignore progressive voters and working class priorities. Read more here.
Now, more than ever, we need your help to defeat enemies of the working class in order to beat back Trump and rising rightwing authoritarianism. Help us build our network of organizers and make sure we are prepared to transform the party in 2025. Thank you.
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Join Our Revolution’s new Rapid Response Team — to connect with progressives around the country in a network ready to jump into action to resist Trump. We will keep you in the loop to take part in protests and collective actions that can make a difference.
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Don’t forget to take the survey and help us strategize for the coming battle over the future of the Democratic Party. We need to hear from you as we work to make the party more democratic and more responsive to the grassroots!
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People Over Profits. This is a message many need to hear as we chart a new path forward. Pick up one of our most popular T-shirts and make a statement as we head into a new year. Get yours here!
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WHEN WE ORGANIZE, WE WIN!
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