Whether or not you get to ask your question, most of us have the same concerns and those town halls will be very informative. However, one subject that won’t come up is what the heck happened in the 2024 election. That’s old news and long settled for most of us. But I’m concerned we missed a key factor.
Trump controls the national narrative and the media by saying and doing atrocious things. One of those is slandering Biden. He put doubt in our minds about Biden’s abilities, so when Biden essentially collapsed in that debate due to exhaustion, over-taxed from his work schedule and a cold, we accepted Trump’s narrative as the reason he won the election.
I wanted more information so studied the election results state by state and compared 2024 to 2020. I found it was actually voter turnout efforts by Turning Point USA and others on the ground specifically in the swing states that returned Trump to office. Yes, Democratic voter turnout was well down, but only in states won by the same party both years. The difference was just the swing states, where Dem voter turnout was way up from 2020, but Republican turnout was up more.
If I’m right then the election was lost long before that disastrous debate. Here’s my point: it is still crucial for politicians to connect with their electorate. Mamdani, Spanberger, and Sherrill all won in 2025 elections and each made a point of actively listening to their electorate. The media likes to say it was a referendum on Republicans. Probably to some extent, but making sure voters feel important is, I think, essential. Town halls alone cannot do it. Focus groups only scratch the surface. Texting for donations with messages like “what can I say to get your support?” is empty and appears to be the extent of what Democratic Party organizations are doing.
-Dave