Last Thursday, I posted about David Hogg’s plan for 2026. This generated a lot of comments. Some are in the comments section of the post itself, but also in a bunch of other places, including a number of emails.
I wanted to share some of the feedback, because I believe the points raised are important to consider, and hopefully, to inspire more feedback because we ALL need to work together to move the party forward.
First, three bits of housekeeping. I was chastised for “liking” a comment. I have (obviously incorrectly) used the “like” button to indicate to myself that I read a comment. Sometimes I agree with a comment, sometimes I don’t. I endeavor to respond to as many comments as possible (in the comments section, via emails received, on Facebook, Bluesky and the Substack app). It’s all hard to keep up with, so I use the like button as a checkmark, and because I really like when people take the time to comment. Going forward, I’m not going to use the “like” button anymore to avoid offending people.
The second bit of housekeeping is that I don’t necessarily know who most of you are. People often use just their first name, and I often know multiple people with a given name. So when I receive a DM or an email with an indication that I should know better because “we” “something” - PLEASE let me know your last name because I likely know multiple people with your same first name. I mean no disrespect.
Finally, I have not attached names to the comments received. I know that a lot of people want to fly below the radar, and I want to respect that. These are dangerous times.
Here goes…
The comment that made me think more than any other was about how sometimes running a challenger in a primary, even if that candidate loses to the incumbent, can serve to make the incumbent more responsive to constituents, and lead overall to a better elected official.
The writer went on to point out that since her vote to censure Al Green last month, Chrissy Houlahan has undertaken a lot of communication and action, likely due to the feedback she received from constituents.
The latter point is a good reminder to keep those calls and letters coming, folks. But the first point? This is something I’ve not considered, nor researched. I’m hoping to find the time to do some research on races where the challenger lost the primary to the incumbent, and there ended up being changes in the behaviour of the incumbent. If it’s true, then there is a benefit to challenging some incumbents: for example, if the reason for the challenge is due to positions the incumbent has taken, or someone who has abdicated his/her duties in terms of committee work, constituent services, etc.
The next comment relates to the title of this post. One commenter asked specifically if we could challenge incumbents AND work to pick up additional seats in Congress next year. Another commenter sent over a link to Swing Left.
If you don’t know Swing Left, they formed in 2016 with the goal of getting people to volunteer in their nearest swing district (originally defined as a PVI within 15) to the end of flipping the House to Democratic. In 2019, they joined with Flippable. This cycle, they’ve identified 15 flippable seats, and 10 must-hold Democratic seats.
When Swing Left started, they had a lot of, shall we say, growing pains. I hope that over the past 9 years, they’ve learned how to target more precisely. I also hope this for the Democratic Party, but I digress.
I am still not a fan of primarying incumbent Democrats because I see the potential to lose the seat if the challenger prevails, and think that we’d be better off shoring up iffy Democratic seats and winning Rethuglican held seats, but I hear the comments. But I appreciate the conversation, and hope that the people who wrote those comments will get out and work for candidates. On the doors.
Which brings me to…
I heard from a whole bunch of people who emphasized the anger of the young. The frustration with many incumbents. And a lot of comments along the lines of “we need to engage the youth vote, because we’re going to die off due to being old, it’s their world, and they need to step up.”
Meet Doug Sosnik, of Tufts University. He’s a political strategist who was White House Director of Political Affairs, and later Senior Advisor to the President, during the Clinton administration. A few days ago, he published a slide deck entitled State of American Politics: Approaching the 100 Day Mark of the Trump Presidency. You can review the slide deck here, and I highly recommend it.
One of his findings is shown in this chart:
The chart above is from his section on the electorate, where he provides information on politically disengaged voters who voted for the Orange Menace last year. (There’s a lot more information there, and really, review the whole slide deck, it won’t hurt you!)
When you parse Sosnik’s data, the big question for next year appears to be figuring out what drove young people, especially young men, to the right, and what kinds of candidates and/or issues could potentially win them over. The common thought is that the young men who went over to the dark side were concerned with wanting to be breadwinners, and uber-masculine, and were very concerned about the economy, often these men were unemployed, or under employed. Most, statistically, were not college graduates.
A decent number of people used the example of Bernie Sanders speaking to over 30,000 (mostly) young people at Coachella as an indication of all the people someone with his positions could win over. A far left progressive.
I received several nastygrams about how I should be all-in for Bernie and others like him, and “choice words” were used. As I mentioned before - if you’re going to send me nastygrams, please include your last name so I know who you are. To set the record straight, I worked for Bernie, and his slate of delegates, in 2016. Sorry, I digress. Here’s the main point.
Who attends Coachella? People with money. It’s an expensive undertaking between the tickets, the camping costs, the transportation costs, and the food costs. Prices here. Bottom line - cheap seats, with car camping or shuttle bus, exclusive of transport to the site and food is close to $1,000. My gut says, those are NOT the young men who tilted right last year.
Bernie, and AOC, Cory Booker, Chris Van Hollen, Jasmine Crockett are appealing because they speak very well and are OUT doing things. They think out of the box, and most have unique voices. We need more of them! But again, my question is, are they reaching the people we need to swing elections next year? And is it possible that some of the things they say will alienate other voters?
For a deeper dive into liberal vs centrist, read the first part of this article on the Senate race in Michigan. The race will be open due to Gary Peters’ retirement, but you can see how the lines are drawn.
I don’t know the answer, but I think it’s a good starting point for conversations. And hopefully, this will lead to more people out in the streets, complaining to their existing reps, and willing to do the work to get candidates elected this year and next.
Floor is open.
Not using the "like" button is counter-productive. It is a useful tool not only for you to track who you've see, but also for your readers to know you've seen our comments.
Simply use a disclaimer such as "A "like" on a post does not imply endorsement, agreement, or disagreement — it simply indicates that I’ve read it." If you respond to a post, your response will indicate whether you agree with the poster, or not.
As for the folks who attend Coachella... My nephew has been a couple of times. He is not even remotely what one would call a person with money - nor are his friends. What they are, are innovative. Pretty much doing stuff the way I did as a kid on the cheap. I also know a couple of folks who have gone to Burning Man who don't have two sticks to rub together. While many - if not most - of these folks may have disposable funds, there are ways to enjoy this stuff without a bankroll. Lord knows I've done it.
But speaking at Coachella is reaching a hellava lot more people than just those in the audience. And it's also a positive way to help influence change to people who don't normally pay attention to politics. Their minds are not clamped shut.
And, really... If saying something innocuous like someone's pronouns do matter while simultaneously listing things that are certain to affect them directly, and that person votes for a Trump-loving fascist fuckwad, instead, we never had that voter in the first place - and probably never will.
The clamped shut minds are going to stay that way. No amount of "outreach" is going to sway them. We need to stop focusing on that MINORITY of potential voters and start focusing on the MAJORITY of potential voters who simply aren't voting.
I think a good starting point for getting people out in the streets, writing their Reps, et al, is happening with 50501, among others. The two most recent protests I've been to have been with people of all ages - sadly, not all colors, because POC have some very legitimate concerns about being dragged away iun unmarked vehicles while protesting in our current fascist state. But it's also emphasizing the state of the United States that has made speaking up so fearful - and that resonates with everyone I have seen.
As for the threat to primary... it has certainly worked with the Trump crowd. Republicans are lock-step with anything and everything he does because they fear the retribution and bottomless pit of money Elonia has. Our under-performing Democratic seats need to know that their Blue seats may be safe - but their occupation of that seat is not.
Finally,if the Democratic Party wants to muzzle someone like David Hogg, why are we ever having this conversation? The other side has already won.
Just a couple of points. First, I know a few young folks (some are relatives unfortunately) who aren’t jobless, homeless or otherwise on the fringe who are MAGA. It makes no sense to me and I just can’t wrap my head around it. I don’t think Bernie and AOC are wasting time talking to people who could afford tickets to Coachella. The 30,000 cheering Bernie are also reaching out to the untold numbers across the country who couldn’t afford or were logistically unable to be there.
As for young folks (particularly young men) who support far right causes, I honestly think they’re lost and there is no way to reach them. We have to outnumber them and reach the liberals who are apathetic and sit home. I think one of the ways to start reaching them is to listen. Don't give them a utopian view of the world that isn't reachable in their lifetime. Give them universal healthcare a fair minimum wage and free university education for starters. This country can afford all of that.
I too worry about challenging sitting moderate Democrats but I also worry about sticking with the status quo when it’s clearly not working. If a moderate democrat doesn’t like the message of a progressive candidate and sits out the election then they’re part of the problem. Or maybe most of the problem given the number of democrats who didn’t vote in the 2024 election.
And as an aside I’m sad over the loss of Pope Francis. Not because I’m Catholic (I’m actually a raging heathen) but it’s another loss of a liberal voice in the world.