Friend,

There’s been a lot of hand-wringing in the Democratic Party since Election Day – and for good reason. Many swing voters turned away from Democrats this year, and too many reliably Blue voters stayed home. It’s time for some serious introspection about what we got wrong and how we can rebuild.

So here’s my New Year’s Resolution: to do more listening than talking. 

Already, prominent Democrats are delivering post-mortems and purporting to chart a new path forward. But it was just over a month ago that some of these same voices were confidently predicting a Kamala Harris victory.

Call me crazy, but I don’t think the solution will come from a talking head on MSNBC. It won’t come from Washington, DC. Perhaps we’ll have to listen, rather than talk, our way out of this problem.

I think the solution will come from you. It will come from conversations in supermarkets, parent pick-up lines, and doctor’s office waiting rooms about what matters most to us and what we want out of our government. Rebuilding the Democratic brand won’t come from new talking points but instead from voters watching their local Democratic officials work hard and deliver actual change in their lives.

I’m looking forward to hearing from you about what Democrats can do differently in the New Year. When I return to DC, I’m eager to listen to my colleagues who represent districts that are veering Right to better understand how Democrats can do better. And, frankly, I’m looking forward to listening to my Republican colleagues about their goals in hopes of finding common ground in the New Year. Because you deserve a Congress that still knows how to collaborate.

I hope you have a happy and safe New Year. I’m looking forward to continuing the conversation in 2025.

— Jim