A new memo from the center-left Third Way argues that despite “excellent” and “broadly applicable” campaign tactics, Zohran Mamdani’s “policies and message, which are radical and politically toxic outside the deep blue confines of New York City, do not translate.”
It adds: “We therefore urge Democrats at all levels to resist the pressure to align with Mamdani’s politics and agenda.”
Wired: “After losing big in 2024, Democrats promised a digital reckoning.”
“But 12 months out from that devastating slate of losses, Democratic digital programs are still plagued by the same issues that doomed them last year. Despite millions of dollars in influencer investments and “lessons learned” memos, party insiders say Democrats are still stuck running social media programs that strive for authenticity, but often clash with the party’s unrelenting desire to maintain control.”
Said one Democratic digital strategist: “I can’t, for the life of me, figure out why we are still so rigid and moderating everything when we have nothing to lose for the first time. All of the threats of fascism and right wing takeover. It’s all here.”
“President Trump, who promised to use his business savvy to bring down everyday costs, is facing discontent over his handling of the economy and inflation. Democrats see an opportunity,” the Wall Street Journal reports.
“Affordability has become a central theme for Democrats not only in the three marquee races on Tuesday but among the party’s candidates across the country as contests take shape ahead of next year’s House and Senate elections. The Democratic Party, struggling with its weakest brand image in decades, is hoping the issue can propel them to electoral victory and bridge the deep divides on policy between liberals and centrists.”
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New York Magazine asked Democratic strategists to identify the party’s rising stars, beyond the most famous names.
They came up with a next-generation list of 25 Democrats to watch, from prominent members of Congress to attention-grabbing state representatives.
“Only a party going through the Democrats’ identity and existential crises could, nine months into Donald Trump’s second presidency, have Zohran Mamdani and Abigail Spanberger as its front-runners in two of Tuesday’s biggest races,” CNN reports.
“Spanberger is a 46-year-old former CIA officer, the daughter of a nurse and a cop, who sounded the alarm in Congress and now on the campaign trail about what she sees as her party’s excesses. Mamdani is a 34-year-old democratic socialist, the Uganda-born son of a university professor and filmmaker, who sprung to stardom with a focus on cost of living conveyed in buzzy, multilingual videos pushing for government to pay for more.”
“This isn’t a sitcom pitch: It reflects a party still deep in figuring out what it’s supposed to be and how it’s supposed to appeal to voters.”
Democrats are increasingly losing faith in their party and its leaders — far outpacing Republicans who have doubts about the GOP, a new Pew Research poll finds.
Key finding: 67% of Democrats say they’re frustrated with their party, up from about half in Pew polls from 2021 and 2019.
DNC Chair Ken Martin projected confidence about next week’s elections, telling Semafor that he sees a solid path forward for the Democrats.
He also dismissed the prospect of Republicans making an issue of Democrats for calling Trump a fascist: “This not only has the hallmarks of a fascist regime, it is a fascist regime.”
“Democrats have badly weakened their party with left-leaning ideas and rhetoric, growing only with self-described ‘white liberals’ while losing ground with other voters, according to a new center-left group’s report,” Semafor reports.
“The group, called Welcome, consulted hundreds of thousands of voters over six months for its broad findings, including that 70% of voters think the Democratic Party is ‘out of touch.’ Most voters, the group found, believe the party over-prioritizes issues like ‘protecting the rights of LGBTQ+ Americans,’ and ‘fighting climate change’ while not caring about ‘securing the border’ or ‘lowering the rate of crime.'”
Playbook: “New Hampshire Democrats are circulating a memo to DNC members, arguing their case to return to the first-in-the-nation primary slot, after being demoted ahead of the 2024 cycle.”
Jonathan Martin: “It goes something like this: Political outsider or mostly new name mounts statewide campaign with online video that leans heavily on compelling biography or powerful oratory, out-of-state liberal hobbyists quickly fall in love and fork over money, and journalists rush to profile the latest heartthrob before inevitable disappointment when the candidate loses or, well, becomes John Fetterman.”
“Platner is the latest example. A military veteran turned oysterman who looked the hirsute part, the Mainer’s populist candidacy seemed to be an immaculate conception. The contributions piled up, the profiles were published and then suddenly there was a disruption to the formula. Or maybe it was more of an acceleration.”
“Once his Democratic rival, Maine Gov. Janet Mills, entered the race, Platner was hit with a nor’easter of oppo research that had the added value of being his own damning words.”
“The Democratic National Committee paid $1.6 million in September to cover debt from Kamala Harris’ 2024 campaign — bringing the DNC’s total payout to the campaign to more than $20 million, and counting,” Axios reports.
“The Republican National Committee heads into the year before the midterm election with a significantly bigger bank balance than the Democratic National Committee, a reflection of the GOP’s dominance in Washington and the minority party’s ongoing struggles,” the Wall Street Journal reports.
“The gap is a warning sign for Democrats as some of their donors remain skeptical of the party’s direction and of whether there is a viable plan to win again.”
Gallup finds Democrats have retaken the lead in party identification, 48% to 41%, the party’s best reading since the first quarter of the Biden administration.
“I am not a ‘when they go low, we go high’ person. I’m not that kind of girl. If they go low, I’m going to the gutter.”
— Texas state Rep. Jolanda Jones (D), quoted by Axios.
“Most people think I’ve got the shittiest job in America, but I feel like I’ve got the best job in America.”
— DNC chair Ken Martin, quoted by Politico.
“The Democrat Party’s main constituency is made up of Hamas terrorists, illegal aliens, and violent criminals.”
— White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt, on Fox News.
Time: “While Democrats in races across the country are bracing for Mamdani to come up in opponents’ attack ads and fundraising ploys, it’s unclear how much of it will resonate outside of the Big Apple. Conversations with players in both parties reveal that Republicans’ drive to lash Mamdani’s brand of politics to Democratic contenders thus far has been a mixed bag.”
“Some Republicans quietly concede that Mamdani is tough to cast as the architect of Democrats’ national strategy. The sharp 33-year-old state legislator may be in the center of the media universe, but no one looks at New York Mayors as the deciding force inside the Democratic Party…”
“Another rub: even New Yorkers don’t know who Mamdani is, let alone most voters beyond the boroughs. In a Quinnipiac poll released last week, 19% of likely New York City voters said they hadn’t heard enough about him to even have an opinion of him. Nationally, he’s even less known.”
Taegan Goddard is the founder of Political Wire, one of the earliest and most influential political web sites. He also runs Political Job Hunt, Electoral Vote Map and the Political Dictionary.
Goddard spent more than a decade as managing director and chief operating officer of a prominent investment firm in New York City. Previously, he was a policy adviser to a U.S. Senator and Governor.
Goddard is also co-author of You Won - Now What? (Scribner, 1998), a political management book hailed by prominent journalists and politicians from both parties. In addition, Goddard's essays on politics and public policy have appeared in dozens of newspapers across the country.
Goddard earned degrees from Vassar College and Harvard University. He lives in New York with his wife and three sons.
Goddard is the owner of Goddard Media LLC.
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