Democrats face a cultural divide with many American voters, making it difficult for them to communicate their policy proposals, according to Sen. Mark Warner (D-Va.).
“I honestly think the Democratic brand stinks. I think there are a lot of Americans who won’t listen to your idea if your brand is so wrong,” he said Tuesday at the annual Wall Street Journal CEO Council Summit in Washington.
Warner’s comments came as Democrats continue to reflect on losses in the Nov. 5 election, which would give Republicans control of the White House, Senate and House of Representatives for the first time since 2019.
The ongoing debate in some Democratic circles is whether the party needs big, wholesale changes or smaller, incremental ones.
Warner’s comments moved him closer to the former approach, but that shouldn’t be surprising given his background. Warner is a moderate, pro-business Democrat who got rich running a telecommunications company; he won in a state that has only become reliably Democratic in presidential elections since 2008.
“I think the cultural distance between Democrats and many Americans is fundamental. I mean, it played out in things like the transgender ad,” he said, referring to a Donald Trump campaign ad that highlighted Vice President Kamala Harris’ support for prisoners’ transgender rights.
Warner said Democrats’ policy positions “make more sense” than Republicans’, but that doesn’t matter “if people don’t hear you.”
When he ran for governor in 2001, his campaign included efforts to reach voters using NASCAR, bluegrass bands and a sportsman’s group, he said.
“That’s not the right message for today, but showing that there is a cultural connection before you ask people to listen to you on issues I think is critical. I think Democrats [have] I’ll have to think about that again,” Warner said.
The three-term senator also warned Democrats against being complacent that a typical midterm rejection of the party in power would allow it to regain some power on Capitol Hill in 2026. Instead, the party should be more pro-business and support regulatory reforms as part of that. he said.
“I have a laundry list of ideas here, but I think there needs to be recognition from Democrats that the brand itself needs to be changed in a dramatic way,” Warner said.
