On November 2, 2021, Democrats lost in Virginia (both the governor’s race and the state house) and just barely won the New Jersey governor's race. Those are two "blue" states President Biden easily carried last year. So, what's changed? Numerous exit polls revealed, among other things, that Democrats lost support with young people, non-college-educated white women, and Hispanics. The loss of Democratic support was especially notable in the suburbs and rural areas. While progressives deny responsibility, I believe it is clear that progressives have dragged the Democratic Party too far to the left, thus alienating many mainstream voters. As Democrats, we can implement some social reforms and support historically marginalized groups without taking extreme, radical positions (e.g. "Open Borders", "Defund the Police", "Abolish ICE", and yes, advocating "Critical Race Theory"). Based on this rhetoric, Republicans have been portraying all Democrats as “radical leftists” and that message IS working for them and costing us support. To change the narrative, the Democratic Party needs to focus now on addressing the core issues that are important to everyday voters (e.g. violent crime, inflation, infrastructure, healthcare, education). In Texas, we also need to be strong on border security (only support LEGAL immigration). I urge my fellow Democrats to view the recent election defeats as the canary in the coal mine. If the Democratic Party doesn’t move back to the center soon and embrace mainstream, moderate voters, the mid-term elections next year will be a disaster.
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