It’s shocking to reflect on the disruption caused by one man in the 100 days since the inauguration of the 47th President of the United States. Trump has dug the United States into a constitutional crisis. Global and domestic markets are extremely volatile, the Trump administration has illegally deported US citizens, the administration has deemed higher education an enemy and Trump fires those who do not agree with him. The Trump administration is on its fourth Commissioner of the IRS in fewer than 100 days. In the midst of all this turmoil, one would expect the Democrats to be stepping up to the plate, and firing at the pitch. But they haven’t. The Democratic Leadership—Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer and House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries—have not done all they can thus far. It is time for the Democratic Party to pick a new leader and new Senate and House leadership. The party needs fresh ideas to battle against this new Trump presidency.
There is some hope. New Jersey Senator Cory Booker has come into the spotlight as a potential new face for the Democrats. At 7 p.m. on March 31st, 2025, Senator Booker performed a marathon Senate speech, which ended on April 1st at 8:05 p.m. This was a remarkable feat by Booker that will go down in the history books. In his speech, Booker gave an plea to his party, saying, “We all must look in the mirror and say, ‘We will do better.’” Booker’s 25-hour and 5-minute-long speech broke the filibuster record previously set by Senator Strom Thurmond in protest of the Civil Rights Act of 1957. In a continuation of congressional protest traditions, on April 27th, House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries and Senator Booker hosted a sit-in protest on the Capitol building steps, advocating against the proposed GOP budget plan, which would cut roughly $1.5 trillion in federal government spending. At the beginning of the sit-in, Booker stated, “That bill, we believe, presents one of the greatest moral threats to our country that we’ve seen in terms of what it will do to providing food for the hungry, care for the elderly, services for the disabled, health care, health care for the sick and more.” Cory Booker is charismatic, smart and determined. Booker is a well-rounded man, having played college football at Stanford, where he made the All-Pacific-10 Academic Team—illustrating both academic and athletic excellence. While people argue that Booker can lack policy identity and overly performative, he has consistently been active in advocating for social justice issues and visible presence during times of national tension portray how Booker is committed to public service. Given his experience and persona, Booker remains a significant figure who could begin a larger role in the future of the Democratic Party.
Next, the Fighting Oligarchy Tour, led by Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders and New York Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (AOC), which shows a slight possibility for new leadership. The Fighting Oligarchy Tour is a series of political rallies with a firm goal of opposing oligarchy and the sway billionaires and social elites currently have in Washington D.C. with President Trump. The tour has amassed sizable audiences, attracting 34,000 people in Denver and 36,000 in Los Angeles. The tour has not just focused on fighting the oligarchy in U.S. politics, but also on advocating for universal healthcare and education, increasing taxes on the wealthy, fighting the income disparity gap and corporate lobbying and generally advocating on behalf of the Democrats. While Sanders and AOC have been effective at highlighting issues of corruption and advocating for progressive reforms, their Democratic-Socialist platform is at odds with the platform of the broader Democratic party—particularly concerning public safety and governing style. According to a 2024 study conducted by Pew Research Center on voters’ policy priorities, these were the most important issues among both Harris and Trump supporters: Economy (81%), Health Care (65%), Supreme Court appointments (63%), Foreign Policy (62%), Violent Crime (61%), Immigration (61%), Gun Policy (56%), Abortion (51%), Racial and ethnic inequality (37%), and Climate Change (37%).
Credit must be given where credit is due–Sanders and AOC put much emphasis on the economy, especially through their critiques of the wealth gap, calls for universal healthcare/education and rhetoric around taxing the uber-rich. These issues certainly touch on economic justice and major reform. However, their messaging often lacks appeal to moderates and independents because it’s framed through ideological terms that many Americans view as radical. Moreover, they tend to deprioritize voter concerns like immigration enforcement, violent crime, and even foreign policy—which were very important areas in the 2024 election. While Sanders and AOC absolutely energize a strong progressive base, they risk alienating the centrist coalition that Democrats NEED to win national elections.
In the 2024 election the Democratic Party failed to create a unifying message that all sects of Democrats could get behind. The party made several mistakes, including having Biden drop out too late, holding no traditional open primary for the nominee and having the Harris-Walz campaign focus on the wrong issues. In the 2024 Presidential election, Harris campaigned mostly on protecting abortion rights, LGBT+ rights, more gun control, battling climate change, capping prescription drug prices, sending military aid to Ukraine and a ceasefire working towards a two-state solution between Israel and Palestine. For the most part, the issues she centered her campaign around were not among the main issues—besides healthcare—that American voters wanted to hear about.
Given this disconnect between progressive rhetoric and broader voter concerns, the Democratic Party must begin to think strategically about its future leadership. With hopes of having a Democratic president in 2028, the party needs a candidate who can energize the base while also appealing to independents and moderates on the most pressing issues: the economy, healthcare, crime, and immigration. A number of new Democratic figures are starting to emerge as viable alternatives to both establishment liberals and more progressive liberals. In my opinion, there are several Democrats who could emerge as strong presidential contenders in 2028, such as Governor Andy Beshear, Senator Cory Booker, Governor Gavin Newsom, Secretary Pete Buttigieg, Representative Ritchie Torres (who represents Fieldston’s district!), Governor Josh Stein, Governor Maura Healey, Senator Jon Ossoff, and Governor Gretech Whitmer. Kamala Harris and Tim Walz are not among them. Americans have already seen Harris’s campaign fall flat once, and it’s doubtful that they’re eager for a repeat.
The Democrats have to do some real soul searching over the next couple years and figure out what they actually stand for. Potentially, the nation’s top Democrats should head to an outing, off the grid, and perform their own conclave, deciding who the next face of the party is. The Democrats have played this game of black-tie politics: running campaigns that are too focused on their true stances, which can lead to electoral defeat, or moderating their stances and having better odds. It may be sad to say, but that is just the game of politics. There are campaign focuses that can be significant political liabilities. If the Harris-Walz campaign had centered around more of the issues listed above, the duo may have won. The MAGA cult has portrayed “woke ideology” as the Democrats’ main philosophy, and the Democratic Party has done nothing in defense. The GOP spreads disinformation about Democrats, and has successfully damaged the Democrats’ political reputation. An idea the Democrats must ponder: how can they change their platform so that they can get so-called “wokeness” out of the American people’s minds? It is not that what the Democrats are campaigning for is wrong—they are very important issues–but strategically, they’re not as viable.Simply put, the American people don’t want to see an agenda of things that they don’t care as much about (according to the Pew Research study). For example, where was the mention of gas prices, immigration, bringing housing costs down and grocery prices during the Harris-Walz campaign? Remember Trump’s dramatic news conference with two tables of groceries behind him; that scene undoubtedly resonated with many Americans who were concerned about daily costs of living.
As the Democratic Party gears up for the 2028 election cycle, they must make their platform exciting to the American people and construct a strategically strong political agenda. The Democrats are going to have to get their hands dirty while campaigning, and may have to veer away from their classic buttoned-up rhetoric. They must boast their successes more, and highlight the failures of the Trump administration and specifically the Trump economy. The Democrats must embrace a bolder, more aggressive approach, only then can the Democrats hope to energize voters to reclaim control of the national narrative. The path to victory in 2028 (and 2026) will demand both the grit and willingness needed to break from tradition.
