How Democrats regroup and recover

OPINION:

I am a Democrat because every American deserves access to our thriving nation’s economic opportunities. Working- and middle-class Americans are the backbone of our country, and the Democratic Party has been committed to advancing their and their families’ welfare for a century. It still is, but the November election results demonstrate that we’re no longer telling our story in a way that resonates with all the voters we’re fighting for.

To bring our voters back home, we need to fix that — and the DNC chair our party elects on Feb. 1 needs to lead the charge.

President Biden successfully created economic gains that helped all Americans, including working-class people. He focused on building an economy “from the middle out and the bottom up,” creating good-paying jobs and investing in our communities.

But Republicans painted Democrats as out of touch with the concerns of everyday Americans. And despite decades of Republican tax cuts for billionaires and economic policies that put profit over people, Donald Trump’s funhouse mirror rhetoric convinced too many of the struggling working families who feel left behind that he was the one who had their backs, not us.

The traditional Democratic base eroded not just in battlegrounds but even in solidly blue states and cities. Enough of our voters swallowed the bait to flip the election — and the result is Trump 2.0. Working-class voters, immigrants and young people shifted toward Mr. Trump in alarming numbers — even though they’ll suffer most under Republican leadership.

The policy team Mr. Trump has assembled this time is more ideologically extreme and politically savvier. They’re eager to sabotage the social safety net, kill job opportunities and ramp up tariffs that will raise the price of almost everything for ordinary working people — never mind the cruelty and disorder their social policies will unleash or the damage they’re already doing to our global standing. The stakes could not be higher.

Without a focused and ongoing effort to expose the harm Republican policies are inflicting, the victims of those policies may not even realize Mr. Trump is responsible. Certainly, the Republican disinformation machine will be working overtime to mislead and confuse the public, so the Democratic Party must respond with urgency and purpose. Our next chair must lead a campaign that not only counters Republican propaganda but also reclaims the narrative by reconnecting with working- and middle-class Americans of all races in all communities.

The truth is that American workers see evidence every day that the economy is rigged in favor of billionaires and special interests. They are tired of being told to wait for the benefits to trickle down. They need a party that fights for them through words and actions that deliver tangible results. Our voters need to believe that the Democratic Party is working to help them live a great life, regardless of what they do for a living or how much they earn. And they don’t just need to feel it in their hearts; they need to feel it in their wallets.

Making this happen starts with getting back to basics. The next DNC chair must recruit and empower candidates who embody the struggles of everyday Americans and engage directly with working- and middle-class families of all races in all communities. Those candidates, and the Democrats who support them, will hammer home the message that Democrats are the party of the people — not Wall Street and Silicon Valley CEOs.

That message has the advantage of being true, but we have muddled it in recent years by touting the endorsements of billionaires and business leaders. Mark Cuban can certainly come along for the ride, but he is not the star of this show. Ordinary Americans are. And if we put people over profit and hold corporations accountable when they put profit over people — if we fight for good-paying jobs, affordable health care and a fair economy that works for everyone — we can show them what Democratic leadership can achieve.

The next chair of the Democratic Party has a historic opportunity to rebuild our coalition and mobilize voters to support candidates who share our vision for this nation. This effort will not be easy. Trust will not be given to us; it must be earned. We cannot merely wait for Republicans to fail. We must prove to working- and middle-class Americans that Democrats can and will build a better future for America. But to do it, we must select a chair who acknowledges the scale of the job, understands the work ahead and is ready to begin.

Let’s get to work.

• Lizzy Price is a Democratic strategist and founder of Price Strategic Communications. She is an alumnus of the Democratic National Committee and previously served as spokesperson for the New Hampshire Democratic Party, Democratic Party of Arkansas, Accountable.US, American Bridge, Correct the Record and For Our Future.