Democrats are running scared of Trump. And that is the problem.
Yasmin Radjy, the executive director of Swing Left, a grassroots political group focused on electing Democrats to office, has spent the past few months knocking on doors across the country. Her team has canvassed in dozens of districts, hearing from hundreds of thousands of voters ahead of the US midterm elections. Radjy’s message is blunt: Democrats need to stop defining themselves as the party that is not Trump. They need to offer voters a reason to choose them.
There are fewer than 40 days until the US midterm elections. The stakes are high. Radjy points to two obstacles for Democrats: not having a clear identity beyond being anti-Trump, and assuming the base will stay loyal because of anti-Trump sentiment. She warns that without power in the states by 2030, Democrats will lose congressional majorities due to unfavorable redistricting.
System Broken and Cost of Living
Radjy identifies the “feeling like the system is broken” and cost of living issues as the two head and shoulders above everything else in these races. She notes that cost of living issues are often related to the system being broken, and that the conversation around affordability is universal among candidates.
The affordability message is everywhere. But Radjy argues that Democrats need to follow up when voters express urgency, acknowledge failures, and try new things rather than sticking to familiar approaches. That means listening to what people actually care about, not just telling them why they should vote for the candidate who is not Trump.
Standout Candidates This Cycle
Radjy points to Abdul El-Sayed (Michigan), Mary Peltola (Alaska), Paige Cognetti (Pennsylvania) and Amish Shah (Arizona) as candidates she names on the House map. Each connects affordability and systemic concerns to district-specific issues.
In Michigan, Radjy credits El-Sayed’s organizing and his willingness to engage with all voters, not just those who agree with him. The message in Michigan is simple: “both parties suck, and no politician cares about that voter, their community and people like them.” Radjy calls that message “ubiquitous.”
The Anti-Trump Trap
The bigger danger is the trap Democrats have set for themselves. Radjy identifies two obstacles for Democrats: not having a clear identity beyond being anti-Trump, and assuming the base will stay loyal because of anti-Trump sentiment. She warns that without power in the states by 2030, Democrats will lose congressional majorities due to unfavorable redistricting.
That warning is not abstract. California and New York will lose electoral college votes starting in 2030. Texas and Florida will gain power. The map is changing, and Democrats are losing ground.
Redistricting and the Electoral College
The redistricting threat is real. Without power in the states by 2030, Democrats will lose congressional majorities due to unfavorable redistricting. That means the districts themselves will be drawn in ways that favor Republicans, making it harder for Democrats to win seats even when they win the popular vote.
California and New York will lose electoral college votes starting in 2030. Texas and Florida will gain power. The map is changing, and Democrats are losing ground.
The DSA Versus Centrist Divide
Radjy dismisses the DSA-versus-centrist divide as a false binary. She says voters are idiosyncratic and hold contradictory views. The idea that Democrats are split between socialist-aligned candidates and centrist candidates is a manufactured narrative, she argues. Voters do not think in those terms.
She cites James Talarico (Texas Senate nominee) and Rob Sand (Iowa gubernatorial nominee) as examples of candidates pivoting on trans rights messaging. These are candidates who have moved on issues without following a party line.
The Messaging Test
The test for Democrats is whether they can move past the anti-Trump brand. Radjy argues that the conversation around affordability is universal among candidates, but the follow-through is not. Candidates talk about the cost of living, but few actually respond when voters raise concerns.
Radjy’s advice is practical: follow up with people when they express urgency, acknowledge failures, and try new things rather than sticking to familiar approaches. That means listening to what people actually care about, not just telling them why they should vote for the candidate who is not Trump.
What Comes Next
The midterms are coming fast. Radjy’s message is clear: Democrats need to stop defining themselves as the party that is not Trump. They need to offer voters a reason to choose them.
The race is tight. The stakes are high. The question is whether Democrats can break free from the trap they have built for themselves.
Where the paper stands
The paper backs Democrats offering voters a clear reason to choose them beyond just not being Trump and is against treating the midterms as a horse race between two parties that both gather power. The core issue here is that Democrats have defined themselves entirely against Trump, which leaves voters with no reason to pick them based on anything positive.
The anti-Trump identity is a trap, and Radjy identifies it clearly as one of the two main obstacles facing Democrats. The other is assuming the base will stay loyal simply because of anti-Trump sentiment. Both rest on the same mistake: treating the election as a choice between two machines, each gathering more power over the citizen.
Voters tell canvassers they care most about the cost of living and the feeling that the system is broken. Radjy’s advice to candidates is straightforward: follow up on affordability when voters raise it, acknowledge failures, and try new things rather than repeating the same tired talking points. That means listening to what people actually care about, not just telling them why they should vote for the candidate who is not Trump.
Key Facts Box
- Midterm elections: fewer than 40 days away
- Swing Left has canvassed in dozens of districts across the country
- Hundreds of thousands of voters heard from ahead of the elections
- Open Senate seat in Michigan: Abdul El-Sayed is the standout candidate
- California and New York lose electoral college votes starting in 2030
- Texas and Florida gain power in the electoral college by 2030
- Radjy identifies cost of living and the feeling that the system is broken as top voter concerns
The answer is not obvious. But the direction is clear. Democrats need to stop defining themselves as the party that is not Trump. They need to offer voters a reason to choose them.
Source material: “What Democrats are getting right – and wrong – in run-up to midterms: ‘We can’t just be anti-Trump’,” The Guardian.
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