I have not yet begun to fight

I know it's a hard time right now. Together, we can fix it.

I remember where I was in 2016. At the time, I was 17 years old and watched the election results on the floor of my bedroom, while my parents attended Donald Trump’s victory party in New York City. Like many young Americans, and especially young men today, I thought that Donald Trump was the right pick. I wasn’t old enough to vote, but I supported Trump because I thought he told it like it was. And, I loved it. I didn’t have a wife or a girlfriend. I certinatly did not have a daughter. Voting to protect reproductive rights was not at the top of mind.

I say this because fast forward 8 years later, and I voted for Vice President Kamala Harris. Now, I am married, have a sister who is about to be 18 years old, and understand the gravity of a Donald Trump presidency. I understand the importance of young men like myself supporting Kamala Harris because the rights of my wife and my sister, and even my future daughter, are on the line. But like my 17 year old self, there are hundreds of thousands of young men on college campuses at in their parents’ homes right now who have not yet gone through the transformation I did.

Democrats failed this election cycle because of messaging. We could not adequately message our policy goals to young Americans, and specifically to young men. We told young men that they had to vote for Democrats because Democrats would protect the rights of their wives and children. Except, they don’t have wives and they don’t have children. We failed to talk directly to them about how young men today make less money than their fathers and grandfathers did back in the day. We failed to talk to them about how they cannot afford a home right now because of Donald Trump’s policies.

Right now, there is a power vacuum and a messaging vacuum in the Democratic Party. We, as a party, are faced with a fork in the road. We can either go back to the old ways of campaigning in the hopes of recreating President Obama’s 2008 and 2012 wins. Or, we can chart a new way forward. We tried the first this cycle, and it failed. So, let’s try something different.

And, here’s how we do it.

1. Re-establish proper messaging on economic policy: Build baby build. That should be the tag line for Democrats moving forward. We need to adopt a pro-growth economic message that focuses on building more housing, building a nationwide rail service, and rebuilding our country’s infrastructure. We have a housing crisis in America. The more we build, the better off we will be. And, we can do this without setting our country back in the fight against the climate crisis. The climate crisis is here and is an existential threat to our nation’s future. But, it cannot be the end all be all. We cannot abandon our present for our future. And, while we are at it, let’s cut the red tape that has stifled economic growth.

2. Become the party of individual freedom: When I am asked why young men did not vote for Kamala Harris, my number one answer is that we failed to give them a reason to vote for Democrats other than reproductive rights. It sucks that this is the reality we live in, but it is a reality we have to face. We cannot just be the pro-choice party. We have to be the pro-individual freedom party. That means the freedom to make healthcare decisions about your own body, the freedom to marry who you want and when you want, and the freedom to live in a country where the government stays out of your bedroom and your exam room. This simple shift in messaging will bring young men back and will expand our party’s base.

3. Redefine how we message to Latino voters: Right now, there is a major blame game going around over the fact that Trump won a significant percentage of Latino voters. But, many of those throwing around blame fail to note that the Democratic Party simply does not understand Latino voters. We treat Latino voters as thought they are a monolith, when in reality, they are anything but. Cubans have different priorities from Mexicans who have different priorities from Colombians who have different priorities from Argentinians. I can go on, but I think you get the point. We have to reach each community where they are at and not lump all Latino voters into one category.

4. Organize year-round: How many times have you seen canvassers and organizers in your neighborhood when there is an election? Dozens? Me too. But, shift that question and ask yourself how often you see organizers when there isn’t an election around the country. Simply put, organizing and reaching everyday Americans only happens in an election cycle, and Democrats have to rebuild their organizing apparatus every four years. How about instead we invest in organizing year round and asking folks how we can help them, rather than asking for their vote three weeks before an election? We have the money. We just need to build the infrastructure.

Anyways, I am ready to help get this done. We have an obligation to our future generations to rebuild the Democratic Party from the ground up and to win in 2026, 2028, and beyond. This is not a small effort, but it is one that I am ready to take on alongside each and every one of you.

Take a few days to yourself. But then, join me in this fight and let’s win again.

Aaron