Former senior adviser to the Biden campaign, Alencia Johnson, said Wednesday on CNN that she would like to see more of Democratic New York Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and Democratic Texas Rep. Jasmine Crockett leading the party to address its frustrations.
Since former President Donald Trump’s wins in both the Electoral College and the popular vote in November, Democrats have struggled to find a clear message for their supporters as they look ahead to next year’s midterm elections. On “The Lead with Jake Tapper,” Johnson said the party’s issue stems from trying to “play by the rulebooks,” adding that Democrats should elevate voices “that will break through.”
“The frustration that the base of the party is having, or majority of the party is having, is that some Democrats are going along and that some Democrats are trying to play by the rulebooks when the reality is there’s a convicted felon as the president,” Johnson added. “So the old rules actually don’t work anymore. They need to be a bit more bold.”
“The other piece that I will say, and I have been on the record saying this, Democrats like to, both parties do, but especially Democrats, like to prop up people based on how long they’ve been in office versus actually putting forward the voices that will break through,” Johnson added.
CNN host Jake Tapper then asked the former Biden aide who she would like to see pushed forward. She suggested Ocasio-Cortez and Crockett, despite noting that some have had issues with “how they govern.”
“I mean, I would love to see more of AOC and the Jasmine Crockets,” Johnson said. “I know people have their qualms with how they govern, but they break through, and they pierce through.”
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“In a political society that listens to a Donald Trump, that is this cultural phenomenon, but we also have AGs, we also have governors, and they need to be the ones that are out there. We got to do what Donald Trump was doing when Biden was in office, and that is actually have rallies every week, speak directly to voters, and get actually to his base about some of the things that they’re doing.”
With an opening for the Democratic National Committee (DNC) chair, members gathered to vote in a new party leader, ultimately choosing Minnesota Democratic-Farmer-Labor Party Chairman Ken Martin.
Prior to Trump’s win, voters expressed their top concerns, consistently polling that immigration, the economy, and inflation were their main issues. Polls showed Trump had the upper hand over former Vice President Kamala Harris, whose campaign struggled to connect with voters on these concerns. She had notably flip-flopped on many left-wing policies she had previously championed before 2020.
While some Democrats have voiced concerns about the party ignoring key voting blocs, others, like Democratic Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, said in a Jan. 5 NBC interview that voters were unaware of how much the party had done and cared for them.
Following his election as DNC chair, Martin told The New York Times that the party’s issue wasn’t the policies themselves but rather a “messaging” and “brand problem.”
(Featured Image Media Credit: Screenshot/CNN/”The Lead With Jake Tapper”)
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