Pick an animal that best describes the Democratic Party. Pick an animal that best
describes the Democratic Party.
“A moose.”
Christopher, 31, white, Calif.
“A bison.”
Mary-Beth, 72, white, Mo.
“A kangaroo.”
Emil, 71, Black, N.Y.
Opinion
America In Focus
The party of the people. The Democracy. The New Dealers. The Democrats have gone by many names over the years, and what they stand for — what it means to be a Democrat — has changed, too.
But as President Biden braces for a brutal campaign, the party may face a challenge it didn’t see coming. When Times Opinion recently asked 12 Democrats to tell us what it means to be a Democrat, many hesitated or said the lines between the two parties had grown “blurry.” The participants said they held core values: tolerance, respect, an unshakable belief in the freedom to choose. They shared deep concerns about the divisions in this country. And they believed that Democrats were generally focused on the right problems — gun violence, student debt, climate change and homelessness. But they had little confidence that the Democrats could fix those problems.
No focus group can ever truly capture the electorate in all its contradictions and complexities. Ours included a California climate scientist, a mom from Delaware and a machine operator in Georgia: 12 ordinary Democrats, consumed by day-to-day worries about the price of baby formula and gas, about the decline in civility and respect. Their conversation took place weeks before the first primary votes and before Mr. Biden will begin campaigning in earnest — before he even has an official Republican opponent.
But the themes that emerged from our talk provide a warning for the party. For more than an hour, the participants considered its future and the people who might lead them into it. Mr. Biden’s name didn’t come up once until we asked about him, more than 75 minutes into the conversation.
The participants said they wanted a party with more “bite.” An orator who could “speak and let people hear what they’re saying.” And on student loans, more than any other issue, they felt betrayed. “We need the action,” one said. “We don’t just need them to promise us the world and not show up.”
Comments like that offer up a glimpse of how much trust is lost every time voters see another promise unfulfilled or make another painful student loan payment or watch their dollars disappear at the gas station. Most of this group still believed that the Democrats remained the party of the people. But for these 12, at least, too rarely has it delivered results.
Laura Reston, Margie Omero and Adrian J. Rivera
Ms. Reston is a senior staff editor in Opinion. Ms. Omero is a pollster. Mr. Rivera is an editorial assistant in Opinion.
Participants
Andres 41, Latino, Florida, account manager
Austin 27, white, Georgia, machine operator
Christopher 31, white, California, environmental scientist
Emil 71, Black, New York, retired
Kimberly 40, Black, Connecticut, corporate social responsibility specialist
Lindsay 41, white, North Carolina, physical therapist
Mary 62, white, Illinois, actor
Mary-Beth 72, white, Missouri, retired
Michele 56, Black, Maryland, counselor
Sam 48, white, Washington, salesperson
Travis 29, Asian/Pacific Islander, Pennsylvania, mail clerk
Yvonne 60, Latina, Delaware, retired
Transcript
Moderator, Margie Omero
Fill in the blank: When I think about the direction of the country right now, I’m most worried about: blank.
Lindsay, 41, white, North Carolina, physical therapist
The future for my children.
Travis, 29, Asian/Pacific Islander, Pennsylvania, mail clerk
Americans themselves.
Emil, 71, Black, New York, retired
Trump getting re-elected.
Sam, 48, white, Washington, salesperson
Division and homelessness and mental health.
Andres, 41, Latino, Florida, account manager
Cost of living, inflation — the economy.
Christopher, 31, white, California, environmental scientist
Housing costs are really problematic right now.
Mary-Beth, 72, white, Missouri, retired
Racism.
Michele, 56, Black, Maryland, counselor
The economy.
Kimberly, 40, Black, Connecticut, corporate social responsibility specialist
Inflation and food insecurity.
Austin, 27, white, Georgia, machine operator
Cost of living.
Yvonne, 60, Latina, Delaware, retired
Cost of living and division.
Mary, 62, white, Illinois, actor
Economy.
Moderator, Margie Omero
Travis, tell me what you mean by “Americans themselves.”
Travis, 29, Asian/Pacific Islander, Pennsylvania, mail clerk
People would rather say, “Hey, let’s not have abortion because of my religion,” but they forget that not everybody follows the same religion. It’s not really a democracy when people are saying you can’t make your own choices.
Moderator, Margie Omero
Lindsay, you said you were concerned about the future for your kids.
Lindsay, 41, white, North Carolina, physical therapist
My daughter’s right to choose what she wants to do with her body. As a Jewish family, I’m now very concerned about their safety. About the cost of living, the cost of college.
Moderator, Margie Omero
Andres, when you said “cost of living,” what were you thinking of?
Andres, 41, Latino, Florida, account manager
Just your everyday spending, like on groceries. You hear these reports that things are improving, but then you do your own assessment of your own grocery bills and utilities and just day-to-day sort of things that you need to get by. It feels like things are still not coming down. I’m in Florida, where it’s — everything’s just gotten so expensive.
Yvonne, 60, Latina, Delaware, retired
I’ve seen in the last two years how much food prices, formula prices, everything has gone up. I have to travel in between states to get my daughter formula because in New Jersey, it costs almost $10 more for a container than it would where I live. So I stock it up, bring it to her. I mean, it’s ridiculous. These poor kids can’t live on what they make. They’re paying back all their student loans, which are charging 7 percent, 8 percent in interest rates. It’s like — it’s ridiculous. It’s out of control.
Kimberly, 40, Black, Connecticut, corporate social responsibility specialist
For me, looking at the economy, cost of living, inflation, I just feel like even if I’m doing all the right things, I’m still not going to be able to get ahead. And every year, it just keeps getting worse and worse. I just don’t know how things are going to improve, no matter who’s in office.
Moderator, Margie Omero
Let’s shift gears and talk about the political parties. How would you define the Democratic Party? What do you feel it stands for?
Lindsay, 41, white, North Carolina, physical therapist
I might have had a clearer answer many years ago. But I don’t know anymore. It’s so blurry to me. I think everyone’s just trying to be a people pleaser.
Moderator, Margie Omero
When you said a couple of years ago, you would have had a clearer answer, what was your clear answer then?
Lindsay, 41, white, North Carolina, physical therapist
I just think there was more cohesion amongst the parties and you could kind of put in a box that this is what the Democrats believed in and this is what the Republicans believed in. And you kind of chose to go to the middle or to one side. And now, again, it just feels really confusing.
Mary-Beth, 72, white, Missouri, retired
Well, the Democrats actually have a platform. And they’ve published it. Now, within the Democratic Party, not everybody agrees on every issue. But there’s a lot of room in that party.
Moderator, Margie Omero
So what does it stand for for you? How would you define it?
Mary-Beth, 72, white, Missouri, retired
For me, it stands for what I consider my progressive values. I want to see people thrive and succeed, no matter their origins, and have some opportunity within our country. And whether that’s addressing food insecurity or housing or the economy, I see the Democrats as working toward that common good in those goals.
Emil, 71, Black, New York, retired
To me, the Democrats are a party of the people, and the Republicans are a party of businessmen and big business.
Kimberly, 40, Black, Connecticut, corporate social responsibility specialist
Very similar, I was going to say that Democrats seem to care about people. I feel like the Republicans, when they pass rules, it just seems like they just want to pass something just to say that they won. They’re not thinking about the person on the other side of that law or that rule. I don’t agree with everything in the Democratic Party, but it seems like they’re more focused on wanting to make sure that everyone’s OK, everyone’s thriving and can live sustainably, which is hard right now.
Moderator, Margie Omero
OK. So Emil and Kimberly said something pretty similar: For them, the Democratic Party stands as the party of the people, as a shorthand.
Do you agree that the Democratic Party
is the party of the people? Do you agree that the Democratic
Party is the party of the people? 10 people raised their hands.
Andres, 41, Latino, Fla.
Austin, 27, white, Ga.
Christopher, 31, white, Calif.
Emil, 71, Black, N.Y.
Kimberly, 40, Black, Conn.
Lindsay, 41, white, N.C.
Mary, 62, white, Ill.
Mary-Beth, 72, white, Mo.
Michele, 56, Black, Md.
Sam, 48, white, Wash.
Travis, 29, Asian, Pa.
Yvonne, 60, Latina, Del.
Michele, 56, Black, Maryland, counselor
I guess I’m indifferent because, like the gentleman said, I’ve crossed party lines and voted for Republicans. Sometimes it gets a little blurry.
Moderator, Margie Omero
What’s blurry? Explain to me what’s blurry.
Michele, 56, Black, Maryland, counselor
It’s all good talk and no action. Democrats, they say a good thing, but I want someone who has a good position and a good plan and follow through.
Andres, 41, Latino, Florida, account manager
For me the party aligns more with the values that I believe in. Historically, Democrats are generally known for looking out for the working class, the middle class and for being a little bit more socially liberal and inclusive. Live and let live, freedom to choose. That’s the sort of thing that I generally stand for as well. But it is kind of blurry nowadays.
Moderator, Margie Omero
A couple people have used this word, “blurry.” What’s blurry that you would like to see more in focus, Andres?
Andres, 41, Latino, Florida, account manager
There’s just the lack of one, unified voice. There’s a lot of infighting and disagreement, where you think, “Well, there’s a bill that makes a ton of sense,” but then there’s people on your side that are opposing it. So it’s just like, “Wait. What? This particular person that has this letter capital D next to the name, they don’t believe in this?”
Yvonne, 60, Latina, Delaware, retired
Right. We need the action. We need their policies to come through. We don’t just need them to promise us the world and not show up.
Moderator, Margie Omero
Can you give me an example of what —
Yvonne, 60, Latina, Delaware, retired
The student loan thing is a good example. They put it out there so they can get the votes, and you vote for them, and then nothing comes through. The kids are stuck with all the loans. Adults are stuck with the loans. I mean, you’ve got 40-year-old adults paying back student loans. And some people can’t even afford a house because their loan payments are more than a house payment. It just seems that they promise us things for the economy to get better, but we’re not getting there.
Moderator, Margie Omero
Let me ask this question. Who do you see the Democratic Party as fighting for? Who are they most trying to listen to or help?
Christopher, 31, white, California, environmental scientist
In an ideal world, they’re fighting for the people who don’t have the resources to advocate for themselves. Homelessness is a good example of that. A lot of homeless people don’t have the political know-how or the time or the money to advocate for better homeless policies. Climate change — your average person walking down the street doesn’t have the resources themselves to solve climate change. And so I think in an ideal world, the Democratic Party kind of unifies around these community issues and lifts up the community as a whole.
Travis, 29, Asian/Pacific Islander, Pennsylvania, mail clerk
I believe the Democratic Party is for the working people. But there are times where it’s just a little bit more talk — the show, showmanship — than the action. The student loan issue, for example, I have friends that owe money. And I have actually looked into the reason why it failed. It was a court order that blocked it or something. Unfortunately, the effort is there, but there’s a lot of weird — I don’t know who’s really dictating like, “Hey, we should block this.”
Michele, 56, Black, Maryland, counselor
The Democrats are fighting for themselves. They’ve all got this cushy job, thousands of dollars a year. Some of them that have been in that position for forever, since the Golden Ages. They don’t want to give up their seat. They won’t let no one else come in, you know what I mean? So no new information or new breath of life is coming in.
Yvonne, 60, Latina, Delaware, retired
They can close down this government because they still get their paycheck. They have nothing to lose.
Moderator, Margie Omero
When you say “they,” who’s “they”?
Yvonne, 60, Latina, Delaware, retired
The Senate, the representatives, the Democrats, the Republicans, all of them. They just don’t care.
Moderator, Margie Omero
OK. Christopher, you had your hand raised.
Christopher, 31, white, California, environmental scientist
Yeah. I think in the last 10 or 15 years, the Republican Party has become a lot more belligerent, but it’s working for them. They’re having a lot of success. In a way, I feel like the Democratic Party is too polite. And they’re really reluctant to take a victory lap and show what they’ve achieved. And as a result, it feels like they get close a lot of the time, but they never quite achieve it. And if they had a little more bite, I think maybe they would achieve a little more. And if they were willing to show off the results, maybe people would view them more favorably.
Emil, 71, Black, New York, retired
I happen to disagree with Christopher. The Republicans are belligerent and sound belligerent. The Democrats operate in a friendlier way, but that’s not the exact word I’m looking for. They’re not sticking their chest out and saying, “Oh, look what I’ve done.”
Mary-Beth, 72, white, Missouri, retired
Democrats don’t tout their accomplishments enough. And Democrats tend to be a little more reticent, especially now.
Moderator, Margie Omero
Here’s a show-of-hands question.
Is the Democratic Party mostly focused on the
right things or on the wrong things? Is the Democratic Party mostly
focused on the right things or on
the wrong things?
The right things
Andres,41, Latino, Fla.
Christopher,31, white, Calif.
Kimberly,40, Black, Conn.
Lindsay,41, white, N.C.
Mary,62, white, Ill.
Mary-Beth,72, white, Mo.
Travis,29, Asian, Pa.
Yvonne,60, Latina, Del.
The wrong things
Austin,27, white, Ga.
Emil,71, Black, N.Y.
Lindsay, 41, white, North Carolina, physical therapist
I think they’re focused on a lot of issues that are near and dear to my heart, like abortion and gun control and immigration and the economy. There’s just hardly ever any follow-through.
Austin, 27, white, Georgia, machine operator
I shouldn’t say “wrong things.” I think they have the right idea. They’re just not following what they say. They’re not keeping their promises. Like the big thing with the student loans — that was very mind-blowing to me.
Moderator, Margie Omero
Everyone is here tonight because they said that they were a Democrat. How important is being a Democrat to your personal identity? Sam?
Sam, 48, white, Washington, salesperson
Not important at all. I do think the Democrats are doing some of the right things socially overall. But I also look at the first two years they were in office. And we saw the danger that our democracy was put in by the former president. The Democrats could have put some limitations on the power of the president’s office, term limits, some of appointing judges, this type of thing. They didn’t do any of that. They didn’t make any real change to our democracy to protect it.
Travis, 29, Asian/Pacific Islander, Pennsylvania, mail clerk
Yeah, I don’t really see being a Democrat as something that’s personal. It doesn’t really describe me as a person.
Andres, 41, Latino, Florida, account manager
It’s definitely very important to me, but I wouldn’t say it’s my identity, because I do have beliefs that cross both sides of the aisle.
Kimberly, 40, Black, Connecticut, corporate social responsibility specialist
It changes how people view you when you say you’re a Democrat. I think it’s like, “Oh, OK, so she cares about social issues. She cares about climate change and gun control and the economy.” When you say you’re a Republican, you could get kind of the opposite reaction.
Moderator, Margie Omero
How proud are you to be a Democrat?
Emil, 71, Black, New York, retired
How proud am I? I’m very proud to be a Democrat because I believe in my heart of hearts — this is hard to really talk about. I’ve never been asked this before. My religious beliefs make me a Democrat. A lot of people say that they are for the people, they have compassion. My religious beliefs make me have to be a Democrat.
Yvonne, 60, Latina, Delaware, retired
I strongly believe that I am, like I said, a Democrat. I believe in everything they’re trying to do. But it scares me to actually put myself out there, because I’ve actually been verbally attacked because of being a Democrat. And that’s never happened to me until the last four years. Before, I could say, “Yeah, I’m a Democrat,” and nobody would bother you. You weren’t ostracized. You weren’t bullied or made to feel bad or actually attacked verbally.
Moderator, Margie Omero
What does that tell you?
Yvonne, 60, Latina, Delaware, retired
It tells me that this world has come to the point where people just don’t respect someone else’s opinions.
Lindsay, 41, white, North Carolina, physical therapist
I would share a lot of Yvonne’s sentiments there. I’m proud because of what I stand for. But I don’t put it out there much. I don’t like being judged.
Moderator, Margie Omero
Who do you think would judge you, and in what way?
Lindsay, 41, white, North Carolina, physical therapist
I live in a part of the South, where I don’t think something like abortion is really supported. And if I come out and say, “I’m a Democrat,” I think that there are a lot of people that I interact with that will immediately judge me for that, frown upon me.
Moderator, Margie Omero
OK, here’s kind of a funny one. If you had to pick an animal that best captures the Democratic Party — not a donkey but any other animal — what would it be? Anybody? Andres?
Andres, 41, Latino, Florida, account manager
I used to have an Akita who was a really big, mean-, scary-looking dog but just the sweetest thing in the world. So maybe my Akita. This kind of harkens back to what Christopher said, where it’s like, “Hey, you have to kind of be a bit more emboldened. Like, you have all these great things going for you, but maybe you’re a little bit too reserved, a little bit too soft, not enough bite.”
Christopher, 31, white, California, environmental scientist
I was thinking like a moose, maybe. A moose is big and elegant but kind of pretty docile at the end of the day. You don’t hear about moose attacking people too much.
Emil, 71, Black, New York, retired
Believe it or not, the first thing that came to my mind was a kangaroo.
Moderator, Margie Omero
OK, tell me why.
Emil, 71, Black, New York, retired
Because the Democratic Party will stand up and fight back if it has to, if it’s being attacked. They will stand up. Kangaroos — I mean, they box.
Mary-Beth, 72, white, Missouri, retired
How about something more American — or North American, like bison or buffalo? They’re big. They can charge at you. But they look so cute. So you’ve got the cute factor going.
Travis, 29, Asian/Pacific Islander, Pennsylvania, mail clerk
An eagle. It’s America’s logo, a bird that’s strong, that can attack, one that’s loyal and that cares. It’s a big bird. It goes around America.
Kimberly, 40, Black, Connecticut, corporate social responsibility specialist
I was actually thinking of a dog, just because they can be loyal, but they can also be fierce.
Lindsay, 41, white, North Carolina, physical therapist
A stallion, maybe.
Moderator, Margie Omero
Thank you all. I love this question. I just have one follow-up. What could the Democratic Party do to make you prouder to be a Democrat?
Lindsay, 41, white, North Carolina, physical therapist
They could follow through with something. They could fix this loan repayment program. They could pass one of these gun control laws. They could ban these assault rifles.
Moderator, Margie Omero
Let’s pretend we could cook up a Democratic presidential candidate in a lab. You could just make one from scratch however you want. And I’m not talking about 2024. I’m just talking about sometime in the future. What kind of characteristics would you want in your Democratic candidate for president that you were going to make from scratch?
Sam, 48, white, Washington, salesperson
Well, I think somebody that can unify both parties, somebody that can reach across the aisle and find the compromises. The first person that came to my mind was J.F.K. So somebody that embodies the best and can get everybody to cooperate.
Travis, 29, Asian/Pacific Islander, Pennsylvania, mail clerk
Someone who understands the background of the average American, the underdog that actually came from nothing, not someone handed a silver spoon.
Andres, 41, Latino, Florida, account manager
I think someone maybe as eloquent and articulate as Obama. I think when I first heard his inauguration speech, I was just moved. The way he was able to use his words and speech to kind of unify people was just so, so powerful.
Moderator, Margie Omero
Kimberly, how about you? What characteristics are you looking for?
Kimberly, 40, Black, Connecticut, corporate social responsibility specialist
I think someone who has overall intelligence, someone with street smarts but who also knows how the government works, who has some experience but hasn’t been in government for 60 years. And someone respectful.
Moderator, Margie Omero
Is there somebody in history that you’re thinking, like, OK, that would be a good model for the Democratic Party?
Emil, 71, Black, New York, retired
To be able to orate, to be able to speak clearly, concisely, is a unifying factor. When I say that, I think about Clinton, Ronald Reagan and Obama. Oprah Winfrey was the person that came to my mind about how an orator should speak and let people hear what they’re saying by using the pauses, punctuating certain words. And those three people I just named used all of those techniques, and they seem to have brought the country together.
Christopher, 31, white, California, environmental scientist
I feel like Obama is kind of the archetype right now of a good president. He came from a grass-roots background. He’s a diverse person but very well versed in the government. And he fought for really big, hard things when he was president — the health care, for example. He had a lot of battles along the way, but by and large, we still have an Obamacare system. We have a health care exchange that didn’t exist previously. So I think he really embodies what the party should be moving to or moving back towards.
Moderator, Margie Omero
Do you see somebody out there — not necessarily as a presidential candidate — that should be a leader in the party?
Travis, 29, Asian/Pacific Islander, Pennsylvania, mail clerk
The girl in New York, the young one — I can’t — I forgot her name right now. A.O.C. Alexandria, right? That’s the name.
Mary-Beth, 72, white, Missouri, retired
Yeah.
Travis, 29, Asian/Pacific Islander, Pennsylvania, mail clerk
Yeah, she kind of comes to mind because I’m from Philly. She’s from New York City. She didn’t come from a privileged background. She was a working-class bartender making ends meet.
Andres, 41, Latino, Florida, account manager
I do like A.O.C. She has some really good ideas, but I know she gets criticized a lot. Mark Cuban is one that I kind of look up to. He’s got business acumen. He didn’t come from a whole lot. He kind of built stuff, entrepreneur. And he’s very vocal about his beliefs.
Christopher, 31, white, California, environmental scientist
I think Pete Buttigieg is a really nice example of an up-and-coming leader in the party. He speaks so eloquently. I’ve seen videos of him speaking to Fox News audiences. And he won’t flinch once in terms of his values. But the audience comes away completely won over by what he said, even though walking into the room I’m sure they totally disagreed. He’s a veteran. He’s an openly gay man in a relationship. He’s got a lot going for him, and I really hope that he shines in the future.
Moderator, Margie Omero
Anybody else?
Austin, 27, white, Georgia, machine operator
I was actually thinking Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson. I think he’s someone who kind of started from nothing and kind of worked his way up, so he kind of understands everything. And I don’t know, for some reason I just — I’ve always pictured that.
Michele, 56, Black, Maryland, counselor
I love Hillary Clinton. I think she would have did great. But you know ….
Moderator, Margie Omero
Emil, what do you think?
Emil, 71, Black, New York, retired
Andrew Cuomo. If he wasn’t so badly tarnished, I like Andrew Cuomo to lead the Democratic Party.
Moderator, Margie Omero
OK. Tell me why.
Emil, 71, Black, New York, retired
I like the way he led New York State through the crisis that we had, as far as Covid is concerned. I really admired his father, and he seemed to embody a lot of his father’s values throughout his whole gubernatorial time here in New York.
Moderator, Margie Omero
OK. Mary-Beth, did you have somebody you had your eye on?
Mary-Beth, 72, white, Missouri, retired
I think Cory Booker would make an ideal president.
Moderator, Laura Reston
I wanted to get your thoughts on President Biden specifically. Which of his policies would you want to see continued? Which would you want to see the Democrats move away from?
Christopher, 31, white, California, environmental scientist
I think it’d be nice to see the next president, whoever it is, continue the student loan fight, because I think that’s one that affects so many people and a lot of people who aren’t big and influential — kind of normal, everyday people. I think Biden has fought really hard on that, but there needs to be some more work done.
Lindsay, 41, white, North Carolina, physical therapist
I think keeping with the fight on gun control and the ban on assault rifles.
Yvonne, 60, Latina, Delaware, retired
Gun control and the student loans, for sure. Yes.
Moderator, Laura Reston
How, if at all, do you hope the Democratic Party changes after Biden’s time as president?
Emil, 71, Black, New York, retired
I would really like to see the Democratic Party move in the direction of bipartisanship. He did a great job of that with the infrastructure bill, as far as getting both parties together to do something about our infrastructure. I would like to see the Democrats do a lot more of that crossing the aisle and getting things done.
Michele, 56, Black, Maryland, counselor
If they took the energy that they have to get Trump out and keep him out and press charges and all that, take that energy to keep him from coming back, if they use that energy, moving forward, I think we’ll be great.
Do you think that Biden should be
running for president again? Do you think that Biden should be
running for president again? 5 people raised their hands.
Andres, 41, Latino, Fla.
Austin, 27, white, Ga.
Christopher, 31, white, Calif.
Emil, 71, Black, N.Y.
Kimberly, 40, Black, Conn.
Lindsay, 41, white, N.C.
Mary, 62, white, Ill.
Mary-Beth, 72, white, Mo.
Michele, 56, Black, Md.
Sam, 48, white, Wash.
Travis, 29, Asian, Pa.
Yvonne, 60, Latina, Del.
Moderator, Laura Reston
Andres, you said that he shouldn’t run again. Why is that?
Andres, 41, Latino, Florida, account manager
I guess I’m on the fence. I am the most confident that if he does run, he will defeat Trump. So for that reason, yes, he should. But I’m just kind of worried about his age. That’s the one factor. But I still am confident that he will get re-elected. But yeah, that’s the only factor.
Yvonne, 60, Latina, Delaware, retired
His age is showing a lot. He’s not so strong. We need someone stronger. We need someone to defeat the other side, unfortunately, if it’s Trump, especially. And unfortunately, I like the man, but I think his time is done.
Emil, 71, Black, New York, retired
Thank goodness he has a vice president. That’s who I’d really be voting for.
Moderator, Laura Reston
Do any of you have thoughts on Kamala Harris?
Christopher, 31, white, California, environmental scientist
I think on paper, she’s really promising. But she’s never really developed that persona, that public persona that I hoped she would have. So when she first got elected as vice president, I was really excited. But I’m much less excited than I used to be.
Andres, 41, Latino, Florida, account manager
I feel like she hasn’t been in the forefront. She just hasn’t been visible enough, in my opinion. I was really excited when she was the V.P., but now it’s like, “Wait. I just don’t know.”
Michele, 56, Black, Maryland, counselor
She’s got an uphill battle. The biracial marriage. She’s an African American woman. You know, so that right there — even though she’s really smart and educated and knows her stuff, they’ll bypass that. I don’t think they would give her a fair chance.
Moderator, Margie Omero
One more question. Imagine you’re at a meeting of Democratic Party leaders. The year is 2028. You get a chance to speak and say what you think the Democratic Party should do next. What do you want to say?
Lindsay, 41, white, North Carolina, physical therapist
I sound like a broken record, I guess, at this point, but gun control and make it affordable for us to live in America on an average salary.
Sam, 48, white, Washington, salesperson
I would say term limits for Congress and Senate.
Andres, 41, Latino, Florida, account manager
Govern from the middle out. Continue to focus on the working class, the middle class. Continue to protect some of these institutions that are in place — Social Security, Medicare, health care. Keep fighting the good fight for — on pro-choice and gun control and things like that. Don’t lose sight of why the people elected you.
Yvonne, 60, Latina, Delaware, retired
I’m hoping by 2028, we’ve turned this around somewhat and we’ve actually gotten halfway there to everything that we want.
Emil, 71, Black, New York, retired
In 2028 the Democratic Party, I believe, should be interested in seriously tackling climate change because that’s going to be the unifying factor in the United States.
Kimberly, 40, Black, Connecticut, corporate social responsibility specialist
I think I would hope that they would be focusing on making it so that everyone can live comfortably, whether you’re a minimum wage, middle income, just making sure that everyone has the ability to live and feel safe and protected.
