Rep. Ro Khanna stated Democrats “must be emphasizing the financial points” within the wake of the 2024 election, which delivered bruising blows to the get together — and prompted a counting on the trail ahead.
“We didn’t have a compelling sufficient financial imaginative and prescient,” Khanna, a California Democrat, stated Sunday on “Face the Nation with Margaret Brennan.”
President-elect Donald Trump received a decisive victory over Vice President Kamala Harris final week, because the Democrats misplaced assist from key demographic teams from the 2020 election. Khanna, a member of the get together’s progressive wing, attributed the fracturing among the many Democratic coalition to the shortcomings within the get together’s financial message.
“The Democratic Get together ought to have one easy mission, and that’s to deal with the financial hardships and struggles of many People,” Khanna stated. “Not simply working-class People — a big slice of People who really feel the American Dream has slipped away for his or her households and their children.”
Khanna stated new voices in Congress, like Reps. Pat Ryan, Marie Gluesenkamp Perez and Chris Deluzio, have inspired that Democrats want to inform a “higher financial story,” emphasizing a imaginative and prescient of elevating the minimal wage, addressing baby care and constructing new factories.
“I feel that may unify our get together — moderates and progressives — and it transcends race and can assist us with Latino voters, Black voters, White working class voters,” Khanna stated. “And we now have a greater imaginative and prescient than Donald Trump on that.”
Within the days for the reason that election, some Democrats have expressed that the financial message ought to have been entrance and middle within the marketing campaign, whereas arguing that the get together had a deal with identification politics. However Khanna stated that whereas he is been clear on the significance of financial points, “I do not suppose we should always run away” from points like standing up for transgender rights and equal rights.
Khanna urged Democrats to not “draw back out of your convictions,” including that with the problems, together with a deal with the economic system, the get together can nonetheless achieve success.
“I feel we are able to win over individuals, even when they might not agree with us on a selected social challenge,” Khanna stated.
In Michigan, Harris misplaced key assist in Arab American areas amid Israel’s battle in Gaza. Khanna stated he believes that Harris would have received Michigan “if there was extra of a reckoning with the failures of coverage on Gaza.” He added that he has seen that even “past Michigan, this actually was a priority for lots of younger individuals and a number of progressives.”
Amid the hand wringing over the election, Democrats have additionally pointed to President Biden’s late determination to depart the race and endorse Harris, together with former Home Speaker Nancy Pelosi. Khanna stated whereas he has a “lot of respect for Speaker Pelosi,” he is “chuckled” on the concept.
“The day he received out, we had Democrats with essentially the most over-the-top superlatives, evaluating him to George Washington, saying he did essentially the most honorable factor,” Khanna stated. “So now to return and criticize him appears a bit contradictory.”
Khanna stated Harris’ was a “winnable marketing campaign,” including that “anybody who’s saying now ‘this was not a winnable marketing campaign’ did not say that again in August.”
“The rationale we did not win, in the end, is we did not hear sufficient to individuals on the bottom” on emphasizing financial points, Khanna stated. “The rationale I am longing for the longer term is we now have the substance.”
