LOS ANGELES — Democrats are still reeling and reflecting on what went so wrong for their party this year.
But at the annual meeting of Democratic governors in California, they fully agreed that something needs to change before their party — and in their eyes, hopefully one of them — has a real shot at the White House in 2028.
“We can worry about who we run for president later [in 2028]or policy adjustments,” New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy told NBC News, adding that for now, Democrats must “lay the groundwork, build the infrastructure and elect a DNC chairman who is committed to doing just that. ”
And amid a pitch to rededicate the party to a focus on improving voters’ daily lives, tackling key issues like inflation, health care, infrastructure, transportation and education, Kentucky Governor Andy Beshear warned Democrats against a major obstacle to their ambitions for redefinition. : President-elect Donald Trump.
During the last Trump administration, people focused “too much on Trump and what was happening in DC, and not enough on [Democratic] priorities,” Beshear said.
“Don’t fall into an us versus them battle,” he added. “It’s not a winning strategy.”
At other levels of the party — including among some of the “resistance” activist groups that rose to prominence during Trump’s first term — there is already broad agreement that Democrats cannot respond to Trump in the same way they did eight years ago.
But some of the most prominent governors, who happen to be among those mentioned as potential presidential candidates, quickly moved after his election to position their states as bulwarks against Trumpism. California Governor Gavin Newsom called a special legislative session, while Illinois Governor JB Pritzker talked about how to “strengthen” his state against Trump.
Others in purple and red states have taken less aggressive stances. At Democratic Governors Association meetings, Beshear and fellow Red State Governor Laura Kelly of Kansas said they would look for space to work with Trump on areas that would benefit their constituents.
Kentucky Governor Andy Beshear says his party cannot fall into an “us versus them” mentality during the second Trump administration.
“Really, we have no idea what’s going on,” Kelly told reporters on Saturday. “So we will evaluate it as it happens to us, and if so, we will always look for ways to work together.”
“You know, that’s my job as governor: to do what I have to do to get what we need in the state of Kansas. So we are very open to working with the Trump administration,” she added.
Beshear said he would support pro-Trump policies if they are good for Kentuckians, and anti-Trump policies if the new presidential administration takes actions that are bad for the people of his state.
Beshear said responding to Trump’s daily supply of news of the day could be damaging to Democrats, echoing Sen. John Fetterman, D-Pa., who told NBC News last month that Democrats should stop “panicking” hit’ with everything Trump says. , comparing members of his party to cats and Trump to “the man with the laser pointer.”
“You’re going to chase it all over the room,” Fetterman said.
It could be an early theme to watch as Democrats position themselves in the governor’s race in New Jersey, where a pair of Democratic House members, Josh Gottheimer and Mikie Sherrill, are part of a crowded primary for the opportunity to succeed Murphy, that term is. -limited. The primary field also includes Newark Mayor Ras Baraka and Jersey City Mayor Steve Fulop.
After the primaries, the Democratic candidate will have to face a Republican candidate in a state where Trump made significant gains in 2024. After losing New Jersey by 16 percentage points in 2020, Trump trailed Vice President Kamala Harris by just 6 points. 2024.
Murphy said he thought Harris’ campaign had made major missteps: “My view is that it wasn’t one thing, but there were 12 to 15 things — including some very smart moves by Trump and his team — that were all wrong went. against us.”
In the near future, Democrats face the first step in determining their party’s future in February, when the party will elect a new chairman of the Democratic National Committee.
“I want to see someone who focuses on what we as Democrats far too often take for granted or consider mundane and that is the party infrastructure, the ’50 State Strategy 2.0,’” Murphy said, calling on Democrats to “ to present ourselves and ask for the order, even if it is in a red, red city, province or state.
For now, Murphy and Beshear say, Democrats should focus on defining what they stand for with voters and looking ahead to the 2026 midterm elections, which will be the first nationwide test of Democrats’ post-2024 rebuild .
“As much as we have to be sober and reflective, it is not the end of the Democratic Party, the end of the world,” Murphy said. “We will live to fight again. I have every confidence in that regard.”
Beshear predicted that Trump will continue to move to the right in his second administration, meaning “common sense and the middle ground are open” for Democrats if they want it.
“The best thing the Democrats can do in advance [the 2028 presidential election] is to win in a big way in the 2026 midterm elections,” he added.
This article was originally published on NBCNews.com
