The Future of the Democratic Party: The Power of Leftist Populism

As the working class abandons the Democratic Party, could populism—on both the left and right—be the future of American politics?

“It should come to no surprise that the Democratic Party that has abandoned working class people would find that the working class has abandoned them.” This quote from Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders was in direct response to the 2024 election, where former President, and convicted felon, Donald Trump swept the map, winning all seven swing states. Later in his statement, Sanders claimed Democrats not only lost support from white working class voters, but also working class Black and Latino voters across the nation, signaling a massive political realignment. The previously Pro-labor, Pro-union Democrats have become a party primarily supported by coastal elites, with pronouns and democracy holding precedent over stable wages and affordable healthcare. Of course cultural issues matter, but should they matter more than a person’s ability to afford a house? 

Unsurprisingly, at the ballot box, in a nation where 60 percent of Americans live paycheck to paycheck, voters opted for the outsider, a man who promises the impossible revitalization of the coal and steel industry and an “America First” policy, over a party that simply, though rightfully, hates on Mr. Trump, with few massive economic policies of their own. Sure, the Child Tax Credit expansion is a good policy, but what about universal healthcare, what about a 15 dollar minimum wage nationwide? In a time of such incredible wealth disparity throughout our nation, the Harris campaign emphasized a small potato economic reform, when what Americans truly need is a complete realignment of our economic practices, where corporations get punished for wrongdoings, and millionaires and billionaires aren’t the vast majority of your donors in a presidential campaign. Americans need a party that prioritizes fair wages, workers rights, and the ability for people to pursue the American Dream. Neoliberalism is not the answer, Populism is. 

However, many Middlesex students may question if seemingly extremist populism would really win elections. To that, I would rebut with this: across the world, people that oppose the political status quo have had incredible successes over establishment parties as of recent years. Reform UK, a new, far right protectionist party in the UK headed by Brexit mastermind Nigel Farage, won 13 seats in the House of Commons and is soaring in national polls after the election. Marine Le Pen’s National Rally nearly won France’s election. But, so too can populist movements on the left have major victories across the world. Sryiza has an overwhelming majority in the Greek government, and Ireland’s Sinn Féin nearly won their December 1st election, surging in national vote share. And in the US, in 2016, Bernie Sanders nearly won the Democratic nomination despite the DNC attempting to sabotage his campaign, with the Senator winning major vote totals in rural areas Democrats were crushed in the general election, with some of Sanders’ voters even electing to support the outsider Donald Trump. Similarly, in 2024, many AOC supporters said they voted for Trump, to the shock of Ocasio-Cortez, because they believe he said it like it is, not acting like an establishment politician. So, in order for the Democrats to win in future elections, they need to reject the electorally failing Chuck Schumer, Hakeem Jeffries, and Nancy Pelosi party that only won in 2020 because of how horrendous the pandemic was, opting to instead embrace incredibly popular and truly “America First” ideas like a 15 dollar minimum wage and paid family leave, headed by Senator Sanders. 

So, where does the Democratic Party go from here? Who will they nominate in 2028? Honestly, the DNC will likely ignore these universally enjoyed ideas and nominate another corporate Dem like Josh Shapiro or Gavin Newsom because their donors will threaten to pull money if they support more ‘extreme’ candidates. The party will then proceed to lose in a similar or even worse fashion to 2024 with the nomination of populist JD Vance. However, if they want to win and stop lining their pockets with money that does nothing, they should nominate a Democratic-Socialist who caters less to special interests and more to the economic fears of the American people, a people who have become victims of massive income inequality. Unfortunately, Senator Sanders is too old, so the answer might be AOC, a woman who cares deeply about liberal ideas like FDR’s New Deal over Clinton’s Neo-Liberal NAFTA deal, evidenced by her proposal of some of the most progressive policy via the Green New Deal, an environmentally friendly version of FDR’s extremely successful legislation which built up the middle class of America, truly Making America Great Again.

Will Cohen