On November 5, 2024, millions of people were horrified as Trump handily won all seven swing states, and the presidency. But November 6 was even more important—anti-Trumpers had mainly negative reactions to his victory, but their reasoning for why Kamala lost soon became clear, showing the true state of the party.

The election also revealed a deep split in the party. An article by The Nation reveals that centrists and moderates argued that the party had become too progressive, focusing too much on culture war issues and was too far to the left. Progressives, meanwhile, found the party’s messaging unexciting and disconnected from reality, which caused voters to stay home.

From there, the Democratic Party’s schism deepened further. As Trump’s presidency progressed and many people’s views on him soured, the Democratic Party leadership had many chances to reframe itself. During the government shutdown in October, for example, SNAP benefits were the main focus: Democrats wanted to extend them, but Republicans wouldn’t hear of it. In the end, 8 Democratic senators caved and voted to pass the fiscal bill, which did not have SNAP benefits at all. The Israel-Palestine conflict was another hugely important issue: many people who had voted for Joe Biden didn’t vote for Kamala Harris in 2024, documents an article from Middle East Eye. However, the issue that won Donald Trump the presidency in 2024 and that the Democratic Party has been criticized for was the economy, with many voters being frustrated that economic gains on paper hadn’t materialized in their day-to-day lives, according to an article in Vox.

So when voters went to the polls on November 4th just a few weeks ago, what changed?

Well, a lot, actually.

The New York mayoral election, for starters. Zohran Mamdani, a democratic socialist, won against Andrew Cuomo, the scandal-ridden former governor of New York, running as an independent and endorsed by Trump; and Curtis Sliwa, the Republican candidate positioning himself as a political outsider. His campaign modeled after those of Bernie Sanders in 2016 and Alexandria Ocásio-Córtez in 2018: a campaign of left-wing economic populism hugely critical of the influence of billionaires in politics and by not taking any money from political action committees (PACs) or corporations. In addition, he was critical of Israel’s genocide in Gaza and the influence of pro-Israel PACs in politics, and pledging to arrest Benjamin Netanyahu, the Israeli prime minister, if he goes to New York. And he ran a social media campaign that effectively resonated with New Yorkers.

In New Jersey and Virginia, the opposite happened in their gubernatorial races. The Democratic candidates in both states, Mikie Sherill and Abigail Spanberger, were centrist moderates with established records, running against candidates endorsed by Trump. They took advantage of Donald Trump’s unpopularity to attack his policies, winning them a large number of voters who had voted for Trump in 2024. Despite being part of the same Democratic establishment that solidly opposed Mamdani’s election, many voters resonated with their messages of affordability and healthcare. Spanberger, in particular, emphasized her role of working at the CIA in the past.

So what can the Democratic Party learn from Election Night?

First, the party needs to not back down from government fights; in other words, don’t “be sellouts”. In March, Congress was experiencing conflict over a funding bill, and Democrats could’ve used the crisis to push back against Republican ambitions for far more control over spending, especially in relation to the huge sum of money being redirected towards defense, reads an article by PBS. But Chuck Schumer led a small number of Democrats in giving in without achieving any of their demands, and this made him quite unpopular, especially among progressives. In November, at the height of the government shutdown, many Americans blamed the shutdown on Republicans since Democrats wouldn’t vote to reopen the government without Medicare and SNAP benefits, according to an article by NBC. And yet 8 Democrats chose to vote to reopen the government without having achieved any of their demands. These two examples are a big part of the reason that many Democrats are tired of their party’s leadership, as explained in an article by Reuters.

Second, the Democratic Party should emphasize economic issues like Medicare and affordability a lot more, without abandoning their positions on social issues like LGBTQ+ rights. The economy was the most important issue in the 2024 election according to a majority of voters, and Trump’s failure to help the economy, as reported in an article by the Los Angeles Times, have put his approval rating deep underwater, at negative 13.4 points. Zohran Mamdani, as well as Sherill and Spanberger, while addressing the topic differently, capitalized on this sentiment to center their campaigns around affordability, delivering them a resounding victory. At the same time, they shouldn’t abandon their positions on cultural and social issues. Democrats, according to a YouGov poll, have higher approval ratings on topics like abortion, LGBTQ+ rights, and the environment, and voters of color, women, and LGBTQ+ voters vote for Democrats in higher numbers.

Finally, they should embrace financial transparency, following in the footsteps of politicians like Bernie Sanders or Zohran Mamdani, who don’t take corporate money. OpenSecrets reveals that many Americans are opposed to the influence of money in politics, especially by the ultra-rich and by super-PACs. Citizens United, the court case largely responsible for the unfiltered power of current super PACs, is one of the few issues Democrats, Republicans, and independents can agree on, with around 80% of the public opposed to the decision, as stated in a report from Roosevelt Institute. In fact, one thing that makes progressive candidates popular is for being opposed to billionaires and their influence, calling themselves anti-establishment, and taking as little PAC money as possible. As the population begins to embrace left-wing populism and progressivism, candidates who don’t take corporate PAC money and instead rely on small donations by individuals will be able to achieve better results as opposed to being viewed as “selling out” to billionaires and CEOs.

To sum it up, the theme of Democratic politicians should be anti-establishmentism. Many people, following the Democrats’ lackluster performance in 2024 and Trump’s reckless second term, have little to no trust in both parties. The Democrats aren’t the same as they were in 2008, when Obama became president. They can’t simply rely on the votes of young people, minorities, and immigrants anymore. They need to be fighters—attend protests, block Republican legislation in Congress, visit their communities and volunteer at organizations that help their disadvantaged constituents. They need to embrace their leftism instead of trying to straddle both sides of the political compass. Because their coalition of loyal supporters might have fallen apart under Trump, but it shouldn’t be gone for good.