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    Home»Opinions»Opinion | The Democratic Party, ICE, Trump: 13 Democratic Voters Discuss
    Opinions

    Opinion | The Democratic Party, ICE, Trump: 13 Democratic Voters Discuss

    Team_Benjamin Franklin InstituteBy Team_Benjamin Franklin InstituteFebruary 17, 2026No Comments35 Mins Read
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    What word would you use to describe the Democratic Party? What word would you use to
    describe the Democratic Party?

    “Paralyzed.”

    Michael, 56, Ore., bookdealer

    “Sold out.”

    Terrill, 68, Ind., retired

    “Afraid.”

    Denise, 57, Ga., account manager

    Donald Trump’s second presidency has remade American life in just a year. Many Democrats and others worry about the erosion of civil rights, cuts to the social safety net and the significant, aggressive increase in deportations across the country.

    Amid major debates among activists, pundits and elected officials about what direction the party should take, Times Opinion assembled 13 Democratic and Democratic-leaning voters to ask how the party is handling the moment, what changes and reprioritizations they want to see, and what kinds of Democrats are standing out.

    Participants in our group weren’t unclear about what the party stands for — the greater good and the protection of civil rights — but many also expressed dissatisfaction with a lack of resolve this past year, during shutdown fights as well as more broadly. Even recognizing that there isn’t always much Democrats can do out of power, people wanted more action and more aggression, especially if and when Democrats take power again.

    In particular, they wanted candidates who were young, progressive and from a more modest or working-class background, with clear and simple messages. And as for the Democrats who are standing out to these people (Jasmine Crockett, Pete Buttigieg, Zohran Mamdani, Gavin Newsom), many of them are the ones who’ve made a point of appearing in combative media environments. Invoking a famous Michelle Obama quote, after the past few years, these voters no longer want a party that goes high.

    Katherine Miller, Margie Omero and Adrian J. Rivera

    Ms. Miller is an editor in Opinion. Ms. Omero is a pollster. Mr. Rivera is an editorial assistant in Opinion.

    Participants

    Candy 46, Nev., Latina, Democrat, operations manager

    Christian 33, Mich., Black, Democrat, career coach

    Denise 57, Ga., Latina, Democrat, account manager

    Dianne 72, Wis., white, Democrat, retired

    Jill 47, Md., white, Democrat, real estate agent

    John 43, N.J., Latino, Democrat, fleet manager

    Kai 36, Wash., white, independent, care coordinator

    Katie 36, Va., white, independent, event development

    Loren 41, Iowa, white, Democrat, unemployed

    Michael 56, Ore., white, Democrat, bookdealer

    Mike 33, N.C., white, Democrat, telecomms

    Panth 29, Ariz., Asian, independent, computer science

    Terrill 68, Ind., Black, Democrat, retired

    Transcript

    Moderator, Margie Omero

    Fill in the blank for me. I’m feeling _____ about the way things are going in the country these days.

    Terrill, 68, Ind., Black, Democrat, retired

    Confused about the direction the country is going.

    Candy, 46, Nev., Latina, Democrat, operations manager

    Frustrated.

    Michael, 56, Ore., white, Democrat, bookdealer

    Upset and concerned.

    Christian, 33, Mich., Black, Democrat, career coach

    Discouraged.

    Panth, 29, Ariz., Asian, independent, computer science

    Strongly concerned.

    Kai, 36, Wash., white, independent, care coordinator

    Terrified and angry. Disappointed.

    Dianne, 72, Wis., white, Democrat, retired

    Pessimistic.

    John, 43, N.J., Latino, Democrat, fleet manager

    I was going to say frustrated.

    Loren, 41, Iowa, white, Democrat, unemployed

    Horrified.

    Katie, 36, Va., white, independent, event development

    Tired. Tired and sad and upset.

    Moderator, Margie Omero

    Anybody have a positive word?

    Denise, 57, Ga., Latina, Democrat, account manager

    No, I don’t. No, absolutely not.

    Moderator, Margie Omero

    These are tough words. Candy, let me start with you. You said frustrated. Tell me why.

    Candy, 46, Nev., Latina, Democrat, operations manager

    I know people who are immigrants. So just what’s going on with immigration, and even myself being a U.S. citizen, I’m concerned about getting pulled over and shot and killed, or one of my family members is going to get discriminated against. I’m scared to leave my home. I already work at home; now I feel like I have to stay here because I’m so scared.

    Moderator, Margie Omero

    Have other people had an experience like Candy’s?

    Panth, 29, Ariz., Asian, independent, computer science

    My family is all immigrants, and we’re all citizens. But I worry about my parents going out. They learned English later in their lives. I’ve heard that ICE is near where we live. I’m wondering if I need to have them carry their passports around when they go to get groceries and things like that.

    Loren, 41, Iowa, white, Democrat, unemployed

    I have family members who are immigrants. That concerns me, that even though they’re citizens, they could be out doing normal day-to-day things, especially with the kids in tow, and just be yanked off the street, and we wouldn’t be able to intervene in any way.

    Denise, 57, Ga., Latina, Democrat, account manager

    Yeah, I just feel we’re at the point right now that we’re being treated like animals. I’m Puerto Rican, and I speak full Spanish. So sometimes I’m scared to go out and speak my native language. My mother, I’m afraid for her because she’s older. They might just judge her by the way she looks. So I’m very, very frustrated.

    Moderator, Margie Omero

    I want to hear from some other folks. Like, what was on your mind when you said all the words that people said — discouraged, frustrated, terrified, et cetera?

    Jill, 47, Md., white, Democrat, real estate agent

    People who are maybe not even immigrants, but minorities and things like that, are just being targeted. There’s a lot in my community about ICE coming and pulling over people. And it’s disheartening, actually, for anybody that lives in America. You shouldn’t have to be afraid.

    Moderator, Margie Omero

    Christian, you said “discouraged.” What are you discouraged about?

    Christian, 33, Mich., Black, Democrat, career coach

    One, a lot of the economic policies that have been put in place. Looking at the job market, looking at the numbers that just came out today, worst numbers in years. It feels, just economically, there’s no real light at the end of the tunnel. The immigration policies are also a disaster, and they’re inhumane. Socially, some people have just embraced being blatantly racist, whether it’s toward immigrants, whether it’s toward African Americans. It’s been normalized. Not to say it ever fully went away, but we’ve just regressed.

    Katie, 36, Va., white, independent, event development

    I wake up in the morning and I look at my phone, and it’s another headline. I saw something on Facebook the other day that was from The Onion. And I had to double-check to make sure that that’s where it was from because, the reality that we’re living in right now, it’s hard to tell the difference between real life and satire, which is not a good place to be in.

    Mike, 33, N.C., white, Democrat, telecomms

    I would say that I’ve been discouraged since 2016, Trump’s first term. Nothing’s changed since then. It’s just gotten worse and worse and worse. Now people are being shot in the street, and it’s like, well, how far is it going to go now? It’s just not right.

    Michael, 56, Ore., white, Democrat, bookdealer

    Until about 10 years ago, I used to think that things would get a little better every year or over time. Now it just seems, for the most part, the government is putting into place policies that are meant to take advantage of the people who need the most help, and to benefit the people who are well-off. How do you get ahead when this is the situation?

    Dianne, 72, Wis., white, Democrat, retired

    I feel the same way. I feel sorry for the people that are going through this in their lives. I know I’m not targeted because I’m fair-skinned. And it’s just not right that we’re being ruled by a dictator.

    Moderator, Margie Omero

    Does that characterization feel true to you?

    Christian, 33, Mich., Black, Democrat, career coach

    Yes.

    Denise, 57, Ga., Latina, Democrat, account manager

    Definitely. We’re going backwards.

    Are America’s best days behind us, ahead of us,
    or happening now?
    Are America’s best days behind us,
    ahead of us, or happening now?

    Behind us.

    Candy,
    46, Nev., operations manager

    Christian,
    33, Mich., career coach

    Denise,
    57, Ga., account manager

    Dianne,
    72, Wis., retired

    Jill,
    47, Md., real estate agent

    John,
    43, N.J., fleet manager

    Kai,
    36, Wash., care coordinator

    Katie,
    36, Va., event development

    Loren,
    41, Iowa, unemployed

    Michael,
    56, Ore., bookdealer

    Mike,
    33, N.C., telecomms

    Panth,
    29, Ariz., computer science

    Terrill,
    68, Ind., retired

    Ahead of us. No one raised a hand.
    Happening now. No one raised a hand.

    Moderator, Margie Omero

    Once he’s out of office, what’s going to happen on some of the things people have been bringing up tonight — immigration, economic policy, women’s rights, gay rights?

    Michael, 56, Ore., white, Democrat, bookdealer

    I say it entirely depends on what party has power and who gets elected. I don’t know if we’re going to be living in a pendulum situation for years and years and years after this, where one party does these things and the next party tries to undo it, and on and on. My concern is that the things the Republicans are doing now, they’re going to be hard to undo.

    Mike, 33, N.C., white, Democrat, telecomms

    Yeah, it depends on who comes in power next, I guess. But if they don’t wield it as brazenly as he’s wielding it to undo some of the things that he’s doing, without asking the voters what we want to do or asking anybody besides just whatever he wants to do — the Democrats are too afraid to do anything, I feel like. So if they come into power, they’ve got to do something.

    Moderator, Katherine Miller

    How often do you feel like you’re thinking about politics or thinking about Donald Trump right now?

    Dianne, 72, Wis., white, Democrat, retired

    A lot. I wake up in the morning and the news always has something goofy that he invented to say today. And I think it’s all to take our mind off what’s going on with the Epstein files.

    John, 43, N.J., Latino, Democrat, fleet manager

    If you asked me this 12 years ago, it was something no one really talked about. And now it’s a daily conversation. My son’s 16, and even they’re just so exposed to politics now. It’s like, daily, you could have three or four things that you would never even think 10, 15 years ago would happen.

    Terrill, 68, Ind., Black, Democrat, retired

    I’ve dialed it back. I mean, it used to be so often I’d look at it. I just can’t continue to give that my whole being. I’ve got to find a way to digress. It’s absorbing me and everybody around me, America.

    Katie, 36, Va., white, independent, event development

    I try to avoid it. I mean, I don’t like talking about politics. I never have. But sometimes you can’t have a conversation with a person because that’s all they want to talk about.

    Moderator, Margie Omero

    Do you talk with somebody about politics at least once a day?

    Christian, 33, Mich., Black, Democrat, career coach

    It’s all day for me now because of Instagram.

    Denise, 57, Ga., Latina, Democrat, account manager

    Every day, every day.

    Christian, 33, Mich., Black, Democrat, career coach

    Every day. Instagram, TikTok. And I used to be pretty apolitical. I wasn’t really interested as much. And then when 2024 came around, I just found myself super interested. And I’m following state reps and senators and things that I never was really into as much before. It’s hard to get away from it. I’m not saying that presidential elections don’t impact people, but a lot of times, it wasn’t so in your face in the way we’re seeing now.

    Panth, 29, Ariz., Asian, independent, computer science

    I keep up with it every day but don’t necessarily talk about it every day. For the most part, everyone in my life I know is reading the same stuff I am. There’s no point in preaching to the choir.

    Moderator, Katherine Miller

    How do you feel Trump’s second term compares to his first term?

    Terrill, 68, Ind., Black, Democrat, retired

    Worse. The first time around was a trial run. The second time was when he really kind of dropped the boom, when he felt that power that he had the second time around.

    Denise, 57, Ga., Latina, Democrat, account manager

    Definitely worse. I feel like he’s looking for revenge.

    Moderator, Katherine Miller

    When you imagined a potential second Trump term in 2024, is what’s happening today about what you expected or different?

    Michael, 56, Ore., white, Democrat, bookdealer

    It’s worse than I expected. I thought it would be bad, but it’s going even further than I thought he would. In his first term there were some people around him who tried to rein him in, and now he’s just unhinged and off the rails, and everybody around him is pushing him in this direction.

    Kai, 36, Wash., white, independent, care coordinator

    Yeah, I didn’t think it would be this bad because I thought there’d be checks and balances, like we were always told. It’s as bad as I imagined the worst-case scenario.

    Candy, 46, Nev., Latina, Democrat, operations manager

    I would say it’s exactly what I imagined it was going to be like. I called out a lot of the things that are currently happening, and I keep calling out things that I feel are going to happen that haven’t happened. Maybe I didn’t think citizens were going to get killed. But my thoughts and my feelings about what was going to happen are close enough.

    Christian, 33, Mich., Black, Democrat, career coach

    This is 100 percent what I expected to happen, honestly. I can’t say that one thing has happened that has alarmed me. And I think that just being a Black American, just given our history in this country, we can see things that some people just don’t see or they don’t want to see. But we can pick up on little things, like even when they said, oh, we’re getting rid of all criminal immigrants. I mean, the first thing I said is, they’re not going to get rid of criminals. There’s not that many criminals here. They’re going to be targeting everyday people.

    Moderator, Margie Omero

    We’re going to talk a little bit more about the Democratic Party. If you had to use one or two words to describe the Democratic Party, what words would you pick?

    Mike, 33, N.C., white, Democrat, telecomms

    Spineless.

    Jill, 47, Md., white, Democrat, real estate agent

    More complacent than I thought they would be.

    Michael, 56, Ore., white, Democrat, bookdealer

    Paralyzed.

    Denise, 57, Ga., Latina, Democrat, account manager

    Afraid.

    Panth, 29, Ariz., Asian, independent, computer science

    Incompetent.

    Kai, 36, Wash., white, independent, care coordinator

    I guess suffocated, or given up. Our local government’s trying to do a lot. But then in the House and the Senate, they’re getting voted against with the Republican majority, so.

    Terrill, 68, Ind., Black, Democrat, retired

    Sold out. I just feel we were never being governed. We’re being looted. The Democratic Party lined their pockets and created — they created this mess. I do like what Trump’s doing in terms of the tariffs. They’ve been milking us for God knows when.

    Moderator, Margie Omero

    What other words would people use to describe the Democrats?

    Candy, 46, Nev., Latina, Democrat, operations manager

    Sellouts and suckers.

    Christian, 33, Mich., Black, Democrat, career coach

    Immobilized.

    Denise, 57, Ga., Latina, Democrat, account manager

    Can I say no balls? No cojones.

    Loren, 41, Iowa, white, Democrat, unemployed

    I will say that there are a large number of young Democrats that are really starting to climb the ranks in the party, that are motivated. I’m hoping that that word starts to take over a little more.

    Moderator, Margie Omero

    During the recruitment for this group, everyone identified in some way as being a Democrat or leaning toward Democrats. Tell me, what does the Democratic Party stand for?

    Jill, 47, Md., white, Democrat, real estate agent

    So I grew up in Pittsburgh, very blue-collar town. My whole family was that way. But then, even as I got old enough to make my own choices, I just identified more with the Democratic Party because I didn’t feel very Republican.

    Michael, 56, Ore., white, Democrat, bookdealer

    I grew up in a conservative household, not a liberal household. I’ve always felt like, more than not, that the Democrats supported policies and programs that were for the greater good, that would help move people up and forward, whereas Republicans, more than not, just said, well, you’re on your own. The Republicans, sorry, really just want to help the rich get richer.

    Christian, 33, Mich., Black, Democrat, career coach

    For me, it’s always been more about the greater good and being accepting of everyone, no matter who you are. There’s a big civil rights component. One analogy I’ve heard is that Democrats would rather 10 kids get free lunch, let’s say, even if nine don’t need it, but that one needs it, versus the Republicans will say, oh, well, there’s nine kids who are getting free lunch. They’d rather the one person starve.

    Moderator, Margie Omero

    People used words like “spineless,” “weak,” “scared,” “afraid.” What are they afraid of?

    Denise, 57, Ga., Latina, Democrat, account manager

    It seems to me like they’re scared to speak up.

    Dianne, 72, Wis., white, Democrat, retired

    I’ve heard Democrats speak up. When they’re interviewing these senators on television about the killings in Minnesota, I mean, they are speaking their mind. They can talk the talk, but can they walk the walk? And I’m hoping that they will.

    Candy, 46, Nev., Latina, Democrat, operations manager

    The Democrats are really good at speaking when they want to, when they want to act like they care. But at the end of the day, for example, when they gave in to giving ICE money, they’re suckers. They get suckered in really easily by the Republicans. The Republicans call them a couple of words, and the Democrats believe it.

    John, 43, N.J., Latino, Democrat, fleet manager

    I feel like the Democratic Party always tries to take the high road and do it the right way, and the other side is going so scorched earth that it takes so much more to try to do it the right way. I’m not saying go low, but I mean, at some point, you’ve got to meet them a little bit in the middle. You have to be a little more aggressive with your message. I don’t know if that’s complacency or some of these people have just been in their positions for so long that they’re not hungry anymore.

    Moderator, Margie Omero

    What have people seen from the Democratic Party over the last year since Trump’s been in office?

    Loren, 41, Iowa, white, Democrat, unemployed

    We saw Melissa Hortman and her husband get murdered in their home, and no Republican really batted an eye, compared to the response that Charlie Kirk got. And you see, again, our own president is lying and spewing hate every day. If I were a Democrat, I would probably be pretty scared about the things that I said, too. I have a lot of respect for Jasmine Crockett and Pete Buttigieg. I love them. They are really standing firm. Democrats have folded a little bit lately to move things along, unfortunately, not in the way that we would like, because they don’t want to see all these people not getting paid in a shutdown and our country not moving forward. Not saying it’s 100 percent right, but it’s one of those damned if you do, damned if you don’t situations, because they are largely out of power.

    Moderator, Margie Omero

    Has anybody been following elections that have happened over the past year?

    Christian, 33, Mich., Black, Democrat, career coach

    Democrats have flipped seats that were Republican. I know Texas just got one flipped. And they have been by large margins.

    Moderator, Margie Omero

    So what does all that tell you?

    Christian, 33, Mich., Black, Democrat, career coach

    It tells you that the Republicans are about to rig the next election because of what’s happening right now.

    Moderator, Margie Omero

    How do you square the negative feelings toward Democrats with the fact that they’re winning these elections?

    Panth, 29, Ariz., Asian, independent, computer science

    I square it because I feel like they’re always playing catch-up. So, yeah, they’ve won some seats. But people are upset about Trump, and so they’re voting for Democrats. I still don’t think they’re going to take the House next year. They would’ve never considered redistricting until the Republicans did it. Not saying that they should have, but it’s like, what else are the Republicans going to do first?

    Moderator, Margie Omero

    What would you say are the Democratic Party’s strengths?

    Candy, 46, Nev., Latina, Democrat, operations manager

    They’ve got really good health policies. I was more of an independent, but I started leaning Democrat because of their health policies. Being a Type 1 diabetic, I’ve always struggled to get my medications.

    Jill, 47, Md., white, Democrat, real estate agent

    They actually are for the greater good of the people. Some of the reasons that people are using the words that they’re using about the party is simply because we are not seeing much pushback. But if we could get some momentum as a party, more people would definitely benefit.

    Moderator, Margie Omero

    So how would you respond, then, Jill, to what somebody else said: They’re out of power, don’t have the White House or the Senate or Congress, so what are they supposed to do?

    Jill, 47, Md., white, Democrat, real estate agent

    It’s definitely a good point. However, you don’t just lie down and say, oh, well, sorry. We can’t. Yes, we don’t have it, but that doesn’t mean that they can’t fight for it. And it is scary with some of the retaliation and things that are happening. But they need to stand firm.

    Moderator, Margie Omero

    When you say you want to see Democrats stand up and fight, what does that look like?

    John, 43, N.J., Latino, Democrat, fleet manager

    Just getting the messaging right. You hear the Republican side. They’ll spew nonsense about everything. And I’m not saying spew nonsense. But they can’t get a clear, cohesive message out there, and they don’t all stand together on that message. So no one knows, hey, we’re fighting for you for this. They just think, hey, you’re just locking the whole government up because you’re just being stubborn. Then they lose steam, and they lose their people behind them.

    Mike, 33, N.C., white, Democrat, telecomms

    They did just go belly up on the government shutdown. The whole blaming the Democrats thing was just a big Fox News story of, let’s blame the Democrats. But they had some real bargaining power there, and they just pushed the chips in and said no, it’s all right. I don’t want to play this game anymore. It’s like, no — if the Republicans are going to play this game, you’ve got to play the game. We can’t just sit around and not play. California’s doing it the right way. They’re like, OK, well, if you’re going to take the seats from us, we’re going to give ourselves more seats to counteract what you’re doing. That’s what we should be doing.

    Moderator, Margie Omero

    Has anybody seen anything from a Democrat, any candidate or public figure or someone locally, that’s made you say, oh, yeah, we need more of this; this is what we should be doing more of?

    Mike, 33, N.C., white, Democrat, telecomms

    Zohran Mamdani. Clear, concise messaging. It’s exactly what everybody wants. It helps everybody. It’s the perfect messaging because it’s clear and concise, unlike Democrats. Just like Bernie. Bernie has said the same thing since the ’80s. You’ve got to tax the billionaires. You’ve got to tax the upper class. He’s never changed. That’s the messaging. You’ve just got to drill it into them, and Zohran did it. Man, it’s beautiful.

    Dianne, 72, Wis., white, Democrat, retired

    Mike said it pretty clearly, and I can’t really think of anything to add to that.

    Moderator, Margie Omero

    Who else?

    Christian, 33, Mich., Black, Democrat, career coach

    Isaiah Martin. He doesn’t hold back. He just went on “Jubilee,” and he went against like 20 conservatives. And to me, they all got embarrassed. He’s asking them questions, and then they get tongue-twisted, they can’t answer the question.

    Loren, 41, Iowa, white, Democrat, unemployed

    Pete Buttigieg is a big one for me. He goes on Fox News regularly and is pretty clear and concise about his stance on things, so I really have a lot of respect for him.

    Denise, 57, Ga., Latina, Democrat, account manager

    Jasmine Crockett. She tells it like it is. She’s not scared. She doesn’t back down. I wouldn’t be surprised if she runs for president.

    Panth, 29, Ariz., Asian, independent, computer science

    I was going to say what Mike said. Pretty spot on.

    Moderator, Katherine Miller

    When people are saying “what Mike said,” do y’all mean you like Mamdani and Bernie, you like the idea of simple messaging, or all of the above?

    Panth, 29, Ariz., Asian, independent, computer science

    The Democratic Party needs to embrace voices that resonate with people. When you hear Bernie, he has energy because he really believes in what he’s saying. It’s the same reason Trump resonates with people, because he acknowledges some of the struggles that they’re facing. Sure, he blames the wrong groups, but he at least voices it. The Democratic Party doesn’t do the same. In 2024, they were saying the economy’s fine. For a lot of people, it was. But there were a lot of people who were seeing their prices go up and were struggling, and the stock market doing well didn’t mean anything. I don’t agree with everything Bernie says or everything Mamdani says. But they’re similar to Trump in that if they come into office, I know they’re going to do something. It might not be what you want, but you see action being taken. And the Democrats are not like that, by and large.

    Moderator, Margie Omero

    Is there anybody else that you’ve seen, a Democratic candidate or figure, out there who excites you?

    Kai, 36, Wash., white, independent, care coordinator

    I still don’t agree with everything she’s doing, but Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez is a well-known name and seems to be fighting against Trump.

    John, 43, N.J., Latino, Democrat, fleet manager

    Mikie Sherrill just won governor. I’m just curious to see where she takes it. Is she going to go real far off of where Phil Murphy was, or is she going to stay on that track? Two years ago, no one really saw her coming, so I’m curious about her.

    Michael, 56, Ore., white, Democrat, bookdealer

    Gavin Newsom and JB Pritzker. They’re speaking out strongly against Donald Trump and the Republican Party. The Democratic Party, its members don’t lack conviction, but their messaging is terrible. There’s a lack of consistency, and they don’t communicate strength. The Republicans will stick together, and they say, OK, well, we’re in power. We’re going to stick together. We’re going to get stuff done. The Democrats always seem fractured and weak. We don’t accomplish as much as we intend to when we do have power.

    Moderator, Margie Omero

    In what ways have Democrats not used their power? What was the missing thing that you wanted to see?

    Michael, 56, Ore., white, Democrat, bookdealer

    I don’t like shutdowns, period. But it was the only leverage the Democrats had when that occurred.

    Moderator, Margie Omero

    So you felt that the shutdown should have kept going.

    Michael, 56, Ore., white, Democrat, bookdealer

    I was upset that some of them caved and we accomplished nothing. There was no gain from that. They were afraid. The Republicans came at it fiercely and started taking food assistance from people, which is deplorable. The Democrats were fearful of blowback and they caved, and we accomplished nothing. Got nothing out of it.

    Moderator, Margie Omero

    Are there positions or attributes where you think, this is a deal-breaker for me when I’m looking at different Democratic candidates? This is the kind of Democrat I need. If there’s a primary, this is the issue that would be the deal-breaker for me.

    Loren, 41, Iowa, white, Democrat, unemployed

    Every issue is important; economics are important to me, but civil rights, L.G.B.T.Q. rights, all of those things are very important to me, I guess because I can relate to them personally. It’s tough.

    Mike, 33, N.C., white, Democrat, telecomms

    Aside from the social issues, which I assume, if we elect a Democrat, then the social issues would be OK, taxing the wealthy, the billionaires. How do we fund these programs? By taxing them and getting our share of the pie and helping everybody with this massive amount of money. Taxing the billionaires is my deal-breaker.

    Christian, 33, Mich., Black, Democrat, career coach

    I would say support of ICE. I know that some of the Democratic senators and representatives who actually voted to fund this last bill got called out. You want to try to be a little bit more moderate sometimes and not just say “defund, defund,” because sometimes that doesn’t go over well. But the problem is where we’re at today with ICE; this is completely out of control. If you aren’t willing to just speak up and say, no, I’m not supporting providing extra funding to this, there’s just so much more we could be doing when we’re funding it with billions.

    Candy, 46, Nev., Latina, Democrat, operations manager

    Immigration reform and, again, health, providing Medicaid, not for me, but for the sick, the elderly and the people that need it. If they’re not focused on those two issues, to me, it’s a definite deal-breaker.

    Moderator, Margie Omero

    What kind of Democratic candidate would you prefer?

    A candidate who identifies as progressive or
    a candidate who identifies as moderate?
    A candidate who identifies as
    progressive or a candidate who
    identifies as moderate?

    A progressive candidate.

    Candy,
    46, Nev., operations manager

    Christian,
    33, Mich., career coach

    Denise,
    57, Ga., account manager

    Dianne,
    72, Wis., retired

    Jill,
    47, Md., real estate agent

    John,
    43, N.J., fleet manager

    Kai,
    36, Wash., care coordinator

    Katie,
    36, Va., event development

    Loren,
    41, Iowa, unemployed

    Michael,
    56, Ore., bookdealer

    Mike,
    33, N.C., telecomms

    Panth,
    29, Ariz., computer science

    Terrill,
    68, Ind., retired

    A moderate candidate. No one raised a hand.

    Moderator, Margie Omero

    Everybody said more progressive than moderate. Why? What do those words mean to you?

    Katie, 36, Va., white, independent, event development

    I feel like sometimes the Democrats follow the law because they’re believers of the system and how the system works. I’m in between progressive and moderate, but Republicans don’t care about the law; they just do what they want done. Democrats are behind the curve on that.

    Denise, 57, Ga., Latina, Democrat, account manager

    To me, being a progressive means prioritizing equality and improving society as well as enhancing people’s rights. Freedom of choice, especially for women — that’s one thing I’m very passionate about.

    Panth, 29, Ariz., Asian, independent, computer science

    With moderate, I think of people like Joe Manchin, who hold up some of the policies that I would want supported. I don’t necessarily agree with all progressive policies, but by and large, I do. Progressives also actually do stuff. I feel like moderates are happy with the status quo and will basically do what we’ve always done. The system is working for them and they want to keep it the same. I think for a large part of Americans, the system isn’t working, so we need something new.

    Moderator, Margie Omero

    Imagine having to choose between two different Democrats, a candidate who’s had experience in elected office versus one who is new to politics.

    Do you prefer the candidate with experience in
    elected office or the one who’s new to politics?
    Do you prefer the candidate with
    experience in elected office or the
    one who’s new to politics?

    The candidate with experience.

    Candy,
    46, Nev., operations manager

    Christian,
    33, Mich., career coach

    Dianne,
    72, Wis., retired

    Kai,
    36, Wash., care coordinator

    Katie,
    36, Va., event development

    Loren,
    41, Iowa, unemployed

    The candidate who’s new to politics.

    Denise,
    57, Ga., account manager

    Jill,
    47, Md., real estate agent

    John,
    43, N.J., fleet manager

    Michael,
    56, Ore., bookdealer

    Mike,
    33, N.C., telecomms

    Panth,
    29, Ariz., computer science

    Terrill,
    68, Ind., retired

    John, 43, N.J., Latino, Democrat, fleet manager

    Things that we’ve been doing, you’re already behind the 8-ball, then. You need someone to come in and be like, all right, we’re going to do this. They don’t have the experience to say, hey, we can’t do this because X, Y and Z. They need to have not learned bad habits.

    Candy, 46, Nev., Latina, Democrat, operations manager

    We’ve already had an experience with electing a president who didn’t have any experience, so I wouldn’t want to repeat that whole thing all over again.

    Denise, 57, Ga., Latina, Democrat, account manager

    We may need a fresh face and somebody that has not been corrupted by our government, somebody starting new.

    Loren, 41, Iowa, white, Democrat, unemployed

    Right, we just got a president with no experience, and look what’s going on. But it’s nice to have someone with fresh ideas. I also think it’s important for someone to understand how our checks and balances should be working and how the government should be working.

    Moderator, Margie Omero

    Think of an older Democratic candidate and think of a Democratic candidate on the younger side.

    Do you go with the older candidate
    or the younger candidate?
    Do you go with the older candidate
    or the younger candidate?

    The older candidate.

    Terrill,
    68, Ind., retired

    The younger candidate.

    Candy,
    46, Nev., operations manager

    Christian,
    33, Mich., career coach

    Dianne,
    72, Wis., retired

    Jill,
    47, Md., real estate agent

    John,
    43, N.J., fleet manager

    Kai,
    36, Wash., care coordinator

    Katie,
    36, Va., event development

    Loren,
    41, Iowa, unemployed

    Michael,
    56, Ore., bookdealer

    Mike,
    33, N.C., telecomms

    Panth,
    29, Ariz., computer science

    Terrill, 68, Ind., Black, Democrat, retired

    I’m more comfortable with someone that’s a little more mature than someone brand new.

    Katie, 36, Va., white, independent, event development

    We’re getting to a point where it’s going to be somebody younger, right? I want to see the younger to older millennials. You’re not seeing as many of them as there should be. There’s people that have held office in Congress for years, and they’re just there. I feel like sometimes they just take up space. It’s nice to have new ideas, younger ideas.

    Candy, 46, Nev., Latina, Democrat, operations manager

    A younger face because we have a lot of young voters, and we want them to be able to relate. If they see all the older people there, they’re not going to be excited about what they have to say. We want young faces, definitely.

    Moderator, Margie Omero

    I mean, I heard a lot of people in this group say that they were excited about Bernie Sanders, by the way. How do you square that?

    Loren, 41, Iowa, white, Democrat, unemployed

    I like Bernie, but that doesn’t mean I want another president of his age.

    Moderator, Margie Omero

    Consider two Democratic candidates, one who’s from a middle-class, working-class or modest background and one who’s not.

    Do you prefer the middle-class candidate
    or does it not matter?
    Do you prefer the middle-class
    candidate or does it not matter?

    The middle-class candidate.

    Candy,
    46, Nev., operations manager

    Christian,
    33, Mich., career coach

    Denise,
    57, Ga., account manager

    Dianne,
    72, Wis., retired

    Jill,
    47, Md., real estate agent

    John,
    43, N.J., fleet manager

    Kai,
    36, Wash., care coordinator

    Katie,
    36, Va., event development

    Loren,
    41, Iowa, unemployed

    Mike,
    33, N.C., telecomms

    Panth,
    29, Ariz., computer science

    Terrill,
    68, Ind., retired

    It does not matter.

    Michael,
    56, Ore., bookdealer

    Terrill, 68, Ind., Black, Democrat, retired

    Working class.

    Michael, 56, Ore., white, Democrat, bookdealer

    It doesn’t matter to me. The person’s policies and their platform and their messaging is the most important thing, whether they come from a working-class background or a privileged background. Somebody can be wealthy and still care about helping other people.

    Kai, 36, Wash., white, independent, care coordinator

    It’s nice when someone is more working class, because you can even tell the difference between people that have worked people-facing jobs and people that haven’t, versus being surrounded by a bunch of sycophants and yes men. When you yourself have faced hunger or the loss of your health insurance, the issues are personal.

    Denise, 57, Ga., Latina, Democrat, account manager

    I would want somebody who will relate to us, to the American people.

    Dianne, 72, Wis., white, Democrat, retired

    Having a younger person, and from the working class, is very important because a lot of us are middle class, and they’ll have walked in our shoes. They’ll know the struggles we go through, the bills and the family, the down-to-earth things more than somebody born with a silver spoon in his mouth, like who we’ve got in the White House now.

    Moderator, Margie Omero

    Last one. Imagine candidates who present with a traditional business professional look versus those who are more casual in how they dress and talk. Maybe they curse or have tattoos, for example. Do you prefer the more traditional politician presentation or someone with a more casual presentation?

    Jill, 47, Md., white, Democrat, real estate agent

    I’m not sure that that matters that much to me. If they’re casual, maybe they’re more approachable, maybe people will feel more comfortable with them. But at the same time, you don’t want somebody so off the rails that people don’t feel comfortable with them because they’re too casual.

    Mike, 33, N.C., white, Democrat, telecomms

    It doesn’t really matter much to me. Zohran always wore really nice clothes in all of his little TikToks and stuff. And I think he looked great, and that was great. But then, on the other side of the spectrum, you see someone like John Fetterman, who just looks like a slob all the time, and you’re like, dude, I elected you, but you have to at least wear jeans sometimes. It doesn’t really matter, though.

    Candy, 46, Nev., Latina, Democrat, operations manager

    I would prefer someone more professionally dressed just because I want to make sure that when he’s out there representing us, he’s serious.

    Moderator, Katherine Miller

    If you could give Democrats some advice either about running for office or being in office right now, what would you tell them?

    Christian, 33, Mich., Black, Democrat, career coach

    Think long-term with their strategy because it’s clear that they haven’t been. We’re always playing catch-up. The Republicans played a long game. Donald Trump has never stopped running. He’s either been president or been running for president for the last 10 years. The architects of Project 2025 have been working on this for years. They’ve been playing the long game, and they’re willing to play dirty. When Michelle Obama said “when they go low, we go high” — that’s not working now. You can’t do that anymore.

    Denise, 57, Ga., Latina, Democrat, account manager

    Stand up, don’t back down, don’t be scared.

    Mike, 33, N.C., white, Democrat, telecomms

    Yeah, going high when they go low, it’s just not working anymore. We’ve got to meet them somewhere. They just need to help us. Do something. We elected you. Just do something for us, please.

    Terrill, 68, Ind., Black, Democrat, retired

    Stay firm with conviction, just like how Jasmine Crockett is demonstrating.

    John, 43, N.J., Latino, Democrat, fleet manager

    Pick a message and then have everyone stick to that message. You hear the same thing all the time from the Republican Party. Democrats, you hear three or four or five different views at the same time.

    Michael, 56, Ore., white, Democrat, bookdealer

    Be bold. Communicate the message strongly. Don’t be afraid to accomplish big things.

    Dianne, 72, Wis., white, Democrat, retired

    Listen to the people when it comes to health care and Social Security. Listen to the people.

    Loren, 41, Iowa, white, Democrat, unemployed

    I’m going to echo what Christian was saying. it is time to dig in and fight dirty. And I hate to say that because I don’t want my party to go that way, but I also think it’s time to stand up.

    Katie, 36, Va., white, independent, event development

    Don’t go on a tangent over here when the message that you want is the completely other direction. Try to be relatable, as much as you can be, without going on that other tangent.

    Panth, 29, Ariz., Asian, independent, computer science

    Run candidates that make your wealthy donors nervous.

    Candy, 46, Nev., Latina, Democrat, operations manager

    Use your voice. Use your power. Keep trying to represent us. Just because we have a lower hand doesn’t mean you can’t go out there and show up for us. The more Democrats speak out for us, it’ll show the Republicans that we do have a spine. We do have a backbone. We can fight.



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