Three and one-half months into Donald Trump's second presidency, many Democratic strategists are feeling encouraged by how his approval ratings have sunk in polls. But polls are also giving Democrats some numbers that aren't so encouraging: They are unpopular as well. And some Democratic insiders warn that it isn't enough for voters to go into the 2026 midterms resenting Trump — those voters also need to be enthusiastic about Democrats.
In an article published on May 12, The Atlantic's Russell Berman examines Democratic ideas on possible ways to drive enthusiasm — and one way is bringing in more new faces.
"Most Democrats blame their party’s message," Berman explains. "But many progressives believe the bigger problem is its old and out-of-touch messengers, and they have become more aggressive about pushing senior lawmakers to do what Joe Biden did not —quit while they’re ahead, or at least still with it."
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David Hogg, the Democratic National Committee's (DNC) vice chairman, believes that his party needs to show a lot more passion.
Hogg told The Atlantic, "Across the board, we need to do more to show people how we’re fighting back. Our energy is lacking. I don't think that we have anywhere near the same energy that we had after 2016. A lot of people feel burnt out, and far too many members of Congress are failing to meet this moment."
Hogg said he is backing primary challenges for "out-of-touch, ineffective" Democrats, but enthusiasm is more of an issue for him than age.
Hogg told The Atlantic, "Some of the people that we’re looking at are older. But unfortunately, sucking is not something that is limited to just people that are above a certain age. It’s not as simple as saying, 'Oh, you're above 70, you need to leave.'"
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Read Russell Berman's full article for The Atlantic at this link(subscription required).