Just days after a major victory in the midterm elections, Democrats are celebrating a historic victory. But what can we actually learn from these wins?
David Axelrod is a Democratic strategist and the man behind both of Barack Obama’s presidential victories. He is not CNN’s senior political commentator. He has spent decades studying how Democrats win.
On Wednesday, Axelrod joined America, actually
Below are excerpts from their conversation, edited for length and clarity. There’s a lot more to the full show, so listen America, actually No matter where you get your podcasts or watch them on Vox’s YouTube channel.
Is this Trump’s unpopularity, or is this support for the Democratic Party? I heard Rahm Emanuel Said he doesn’t see this as a defense of Democrats, but a repudiation of Republicans.
Is this difference important? We know whether people voted for Democrats or just be opposed to government?
I think every midterm election is in some ways a referendum on the incumbent party. This has always been true. The result is almost always this: not as good as we wanted. You know, in this election, the people in power have to push the button and say, “How did I do?”
The answer, people told them, was: really, really bad.
horrible! Two thumbs down.
Really, really bad. This is clearly a repudiation of the president. I think this is a real reaction to the same factors that are driving the 2024 election, which is cost and the fact that people are struggling in the current economy. What makes this unusual is that Trump was elected to lower these costs, but instead he made decisions that significantly increased them—wars, tariffs.
I don’t deny that Trump might do a 180 on some things and become that partner.
accountability? If they come in and think, Find where the two parties align? Is the answer both?
But what I’m concerned about is the way Mayor Mamdani is handling his relationship with Trump. There may be some illuminating elements to that, since he’s certainly critical of the president. But he also identified areas such as housing where they could work together.
You mentioned demographic changes. They are universal. You talk about male, Latino, Asian voters; young peopleThe broad shift among working-class Americans to the Democratic Party has exceeded even some polls’ expectations. I wonder: Are we writing obituaries for the Obama coalition too soon? Are you back?
I’m very allergic to it because I remember when we won. I remember people talking about rising leagues. This is the coalition that will govern.
Yes, a governing majority is coming.
The message is: What you do matters.
For example, Democrats take Hispanic voters for granted. They pay a huge price in 2024. Republicans take Hispanic voters for granted. In each case, they were voters who responded profoundly to economic circumstances. Just like 2024, they are getting hit hard in the current economy. They are also largely socially conservative communities. I think both sides are guilty of misreading this.
By the way, everyone is talking about who is responsible for the performance of the Republican Party this year? I don’t think Stephen Miller gets the credit he deserves.
One hundred percent, yes.
Immigration overexpansion is at the heart of Latino voter collapse. We’ve all heard about it all year. And only in general Shocked the American public conscience.
Yes! There’s a vote on decency here. Decency had a big day on Tuesday, and at this point, it’s very interesting to me that candidates like Talarico, Hamilton, who preached the gospel of human brotherhood and decency, ended up winning in places you never thought Democrats could win.
So, long answer to this question: I think what the Democratic coalition is and can be depends on what the Democrats do now.