Al Gore, John Kerry, Hillary Clinton, and Kamala Harris all have two things in common. They all moved to the middle as Democratic presidential candidates, and they all lost.
Barack Obama didn’t move to the middle. Obama didn’t shift and change when he became a presidential candidate and he won twice.
Joe Biden is a fascinating example because he started out in the middle, moved to the left to consolidate the party, and won.
The one common point in recent history that all Democratic presidential campaigns share is that when they move to the middle, they discourage the Democratic base, and they lose.
Some 2028 Democratic presidential hopefuls are repeating history in a bad way.
Searching for a path out of the political wilderness, potential 2028 candidates, especially those hailing from blue states, are attempting to ratchet back a leftward lurch on social issues some in the party say cost them the November election.
Maryland Gov. Wes Moore, who is Black, vetoed a bill that took steps toward reparations passed by his state legislature. California Gov. Gavin Newsom called it “unfair” to allow transgender athletes to participate in female college and youth sports. And Rahm Emanuel has urged his party to veer back to the center.
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Moderate Democrats are having a moment and there is a cadre of consultants and strategists ready to support them.
The same Democratic strategist and consulting class that got it wrong in 2016, 2022, and 2024, and caused congressional Democrats to lose seats in 2020, thinks that this time by being more like Republicans, they’ll get it right.
Democrats lost in 2024 because their campaign strategy and message was so bad that it depressed and demoralized their own party. Democrats lost because millions of DEMOCRATS didn’t vote. It isn’t that Democrats lost the middle or white men. Democrats lost Democrats. Instead of thinking about how to get the middle, these “experts” need to be looking at how to energize their own party.
Not that they are listening, but Democratic voters have been telling them for months what they want out of the party.
Democratic voters want leadership, fight, and bold action.
Republicans didn’t win the election based on culture war distractions. They won because prices and inflation angered voters, and Democrats didn’t acknowledge and directly address that anger.
Any Democratic presidential candidate who follows the advice of these consultants and moves to the middle won’t be the nominee. Democratic presidential primary voters skew more to the left, and hearing a message about how Democrats need to move to the middle turns off these voters.
The most exciting candidate who is willing to take the fight to Republicans will be the nominee. Those who try to run in the middle will be left in the dust.
What do you think about any 2028 Democratic presidential candidate who wants to run to the middle? Share your thoughts in the comments below.