Democrats are reportedly in disarray on whether to lean farther left or more to the center as they aim to reconnect with voters in upcoming elections.
Some Democrats are considering whether they should embrace more left-leaning agendas versus centrist politics as they seek to retake control of the White House in 2028, The Hill reported on Thursday. The report comes as Democrats seek to formulate a winning approach and reconnect with voters they lost in the 2024 election cycle. (RELATED: DNC Chair Ken Martin Says His Gig Makes Him Want To Pull Hair Out)
“Fundamentally politics is very simple. It’s a math question,” Democratic strategist Steve Schale told The Hill. “To win, you’ve got to get to 50% plus 1. And if we’re going to win places where we have to win, you have to get a base excited to show up and give a shit, but you also have to frame your message to median voters, so they say, ‘Yeah, I can join this coalition.’”
“I’ve yet to see the evidence that people on the left win in places where we currently lose,” Schale continued. “And until someone shows me how excitement on the left gets me to 50 percent plus 1, I don’t know how that argument makes sense whatsoever.”
WASHINGTON, DC – JULY 16: Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT) and NYC Mayoral Candidate Zohran Mamdani enter an elevator after a meeting in the Dirksen Senate Office Building on July 16, 2025 in Washington, DC. (Photo by Michael M. Santiago/Getty Images)
One anonymous Democratic strategist told The Hill that Democrats “never learn their lesson.”
“It’s amazing to me how anyone could conclude that [the] key to winning in 2028 is to run left of center,” the strategist told the outlet. “They are completely delusional.”
Some Democrats have reportedly been concerned over a New York Times analysis of voter registration data released in August which showed that between 2020 and 2024, the Democratic Party saw a drop of about 2.1 million registered voters, while Republicans gained approximately 2.4 million.
Additionally, the number of registered Republicans voters in New Jersey increased by almost 31,000 this year, while the number of registered Democrats declined by over 11,000, the New York Post reported on Wednesday.
The Democratic Party’s voter registration advantage in New York City has also narrowed since the city’s 2021 mayoral election, Newsweek reported on Monday, citing data from the New York State Board of Elections.
Still, some Democrats want their party members to move even farther to the left, highlighting the success of far-left candidates such as Democratic New York City mayoral nominee Zohran Mamdani, The Hill reported.
“The Tea Party comparisons are fair in one respect: The grassroots of the Democratic Party are ahead of the party leadership, dragging leadership along,” Democratic strategist Christy Setzer told The Hill.
“Does anyone think congressional Democrats would have refused to bail out the GOP on the budget had it not been for the grassroots?” Setzer added.
Meanwhile, Democratic strategist Rodell Mollineau told The Hill that presidential politics has become “all about cult of personality.”
“The biggest factor for presidential candidates running in 2028 won’t be whether they are labeled left or centrist,” Mollineau said. “Presidential politics has become all about cult of personality.”
Democratic strategist Eddie Vale told The Hill he thinks that voters are more interested in political candidates who have “authenticity.”
“Saying a candidate or the party overall needs to fall in the correct place on a left-to-center policy spectrum is an outdated way to look at things that no real voter thinks about,” Vale told the outlet. “Voters don’t care what D.C. think tank your views line up with. They are looking for authenticity and people who will help them.”
The report comes as the Democratic National Committee (DNC) has been significantly trailing behind Republicans in fundraising this year, according to recent reports. The DNC had just $15 million in cash on hand by the end of June, while the Republican National Committee reported having $80 million on hand.
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