Democratic strategist James Carville said Thursday that the Democratic Party’s reputation is at its lowest point ever, citing a lack of inspiring presidential candidates since former President Barack Obama.
Since Obama finished his second term, President-elect Donald Trump has defeated former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton in 2016 and Vice President Kamala Harris in 2024, only losing to President Joe Biden in 2020 during the COVID-19 pandemic. Carville, on “Politics War Room,” noted that Democratic turnout in 2024 was poor compared to 2020, appearing to reference a Saturday article by former political director for the AFL-CIO, Michael Podhorzer.
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“Do you want kind of bad news and let’s just pile it on? The image of the Democratic Party is at an all-time low. Democratic turnout in 2024 was not good,” Carville said. “There’s a great piece by Michael Podhorzer, who’s a friend of the show, who’s been on there. Trump didn’t really do any better than he did in 2020 as Democrats did worse.”
“And the truth of the matter is, and I have great respect and admiration for Secretary Clinton, for President Biden, even a good deal for Vice President Harris, but we have not had an inspirational presidential candidate since Obama ran for re-election,” he continued. “And that’s what most people do. The image of the party is one of being urban, old, out of touch.”
Carville also warned in late November that the Democratic Party’s “brand” suffered significant “damage” following Harris’ brief presidential campaign, in which her party reportedly spent nearly $1.5 billion.
“The resistance is going to have trouble raising money. These fundraisers are burnt,” Carville said at the time. “They’re really pissed now, and the damage that the 2024 campaign has done — the damage that this decade has done to the Democratic brand — is almost unfathomable. Almost unfathomable.”
Moreover, the Democratic strategist criticized his party in December for suppressing dissent on issues like sex changes and border policy.
“Anybody that questions the absolute, unquestionable benefits of transition surgery is going to be called this equivalent of being against civil rights or being against women having the right to vote … if you say the border, we should have had something different — well, that makes you a racist,” he said. If you say that we should proceed with caution on this transition surgery … then you’re slammed. And the tyranny of the left is tyranny. And not only tyranny that it causes people grief, it loses us elections, people.”
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