Part of the difficulty is that both the Democratic Party’s progressive and moderate wings feel as though the early days of the Trump administration have vindicated at times their differing approaches.
‘‘We are locked out of accessing the levers and buttons of power, of reaching government. Our next milestone, and it is a critical milestone to achieve, is winning the majority in 2026 that is of paramount importance,‘’ said Rep. Brad Schneider of Illinois, chair of the New Democrat Coalition, a bloc of House Democrats that advocates for ‘’pragmatic, effective policies."
For Schneider, all of the party’s efforts should be focused on winning back the majority, rather than winning the day’s news cycle.
‘‘I’ve said this to my colleagues, and I’ll keep repeating it: We can win moments (that) go viral. We can win arguments here and there. We can even win a day. But if what we’re doing isn’t putting us on the path to win the election next year, we haven’t gotten to where we need to be, and we’re not doing what we need to do," Schneider said.
More progressive lawmakers make a different case.
‘‘So I think that this is a real opportunity for the Democratic Party to transform — the way we need it to — to be a party of working people,‘’ said Rep. Greg Casar of Texas, chair of the Congressional Progressive Caucus.