The Democratic Party finds itself in a highly precarious electoral position. Even in “good” election cycles, Democrats struggle to translate their typically impressive aggregate vote totals across the country and within states into governing majorities. Core to the party’s struggles are its weaknesses with rural and working-class voters. To effectively address these problems, Democrats need to institutionalize a proper faction within the party that has a platform and brand that differs from that of the big city- and college campus-dominated national party establishment.
Robert Saldin is the Director of the Mansfield Center’s Ethics and Public Affairs Program and a Professor of Political Science at the University of Montana. His most recent book is Never Trump: The Revolt of the Conservative Elites (Oxford, 2020), co-authored with Steven Teles.