An electoral audit looking back a decade to understand how Democrats can win back our multiracial, multigenerational working class base
Many shifts in the 2024 election were a continuation of trends that many party leaders and state organizers had seen play out for years. We also need to recognize what went right as well as wrong, and then chart an effective new path forward.
A strategic, permanent campaign and a long-term, nimble media strategy
We need to build infrastructure for candidate recruitment, for contesting every race, and for communications and field. We must diversify our media, outreach, and platforms. And we need to strategize about how to build out non-corporate media platforms that cannot be taken over by the Musks of our world.
Increased investments in state parties to organize in every state every year
As a battleground state organizer and a former elected who knocked over 10,000 doors to win her rural seat, Michelle knows that the important work of organizing is most successful when it’s led by folks on the ground. That’s why she’ll fight to ensure that state parties are granted the resources they need to rebuild trust by organizing in the communities that only they know year-round, not just in election season. Moving towards this ground-up model, Democrats across the country should be empowered to contest every race and win back seats that we’ve left for lost.
Engagement and larger investments in the Party’s youth organizations
Michelle works closely with the Young Democrats of America, the College Democrats and High School Democrats, as well as other youth organizations to make sure that young people get involved and have a voice within the Party. As founder and Chair of the first-ever DNC Council on the Environment and Climate Council, Michelle has dedicated a permanent seat for a Youth Director on the Council. This election was a clarion call about the importance of youth outreach and organizing. And as DNC Vice Chair, Michelle will build on her work to ensure that Democrats are engaging and collaborating with youth and youth-led groups, investing more in the Party’s youth organizations, and making strategic efforts to talk with young voters about the issues that matter most to them.
Leverage and support DNC Caucuses and Councils
The DNC’s Caucuses and Councils are an underutilized resource. Empowering and supporting DNC caucuses and councils means building bridges and connecting with voters in the communities and ally organizations they represent. Grant them a small budget. Promptly share membership and meeting attendance signups. Make Council Chairs automatic DNC members.
More inclusive and transparent DNC Committees
With so much at stake, we need to ensure the national Democratic Party is a powerful and effective force in its own right, with more transparency about budget and finances, as well as committees that are representative of the DNC as a whole. A meaningful proportion of each committee’s members should be elected by states, while also ensuring racial, gender, generational, and regional diversity and representation.