The Democratic Party cannot wait for Kamala Harris in 2028

"The infighting between royal-blue and true-blue Democrats is set to be more vicious and vitriolic than the Israeli-Hamas conflict by the time Donald Trump places his hand on the Bible..."

If the 2024 presidential election were a game of “Monopoly,” the core-minority Democratic voter would be “Park Avenue” with four hotels. But now, the MAGA Republicans have claimed victory, placing Trump Towers on the same property.

The 2024 cycle is over, and the results are dramatic yet still Democratic. MAGA Republicans are jubilant, while tender-hearted Democrats are intransigent in their disbelief. Abortion advocates succeeded in making a losing public policy the central issue, yet confidence in economic freedom triumphed over so-called “reproductive freedom.”

Now, the brittle-blue blame game begins. The Democrats are unlikely to abandon their warped and misguided perspectives. Instead, they will carry their political stillborns to full term—delivering a conundrum six months before the 2026 midterms. Saddled with conjoined twins they cannot separate—mega-donor money and a deeply fragmented working-class base—they face a potentially humbling reckoning.

The Democratic Party has become wedded to policies dictated by the highest bidder. Abortion and transgender issues dominated this cycle because wealthy donors who financially own the party prioritized them. Unlike the transactional politics of the pre-MAGA Republicans, Democrats depend on their most loyal constituency—working poor minorities—to carry them over the finish line. This leaves independent voters' common sense delivered on a platter to alternative lifestyle donors via royal-blue Democrats, at the expense of true-blue loyalists.

For now, the Trump MAGA movement has tapped into an insurmountable margin. Core Democratic minority voters, unknowingly wielding substantial political power, contributed to painting America in rose-colored hues. This was done at the expense of the Democrats’ own true-blue base.

The infighting between royal-blue and true-blue Democrats is set to be more vicious and vitriolic than the Israeli-Hamas conflict by the time Donald Trump places his hand on the Bible to be sworn in as the 47th President. With a 40-year-old J.D. Vance as his Vice President, the Democrats will face a brutal reckoning as they attempt to craft a 2026 strategy. Despite their efforts, they will still lack a compelling messenger for their convoluted and well-financed message.

The Democratic message today prioritizes sexuality over the state, economy, national security, and traditional families. If just 5% more African American men in swing states—who voted for Trump—conclude that public policy issues outweigh the royal-blue Democrats' sexual-political agenda, the Democrats risk losing the rest of the century, much like Herbert Hoover’s Republicans did after the New Deal.

Royal-blue Democrats would do well to forgo a fourth open primary for a presidential nominee. Should they emerge victorious against the true blues, they must allow their best messenger, Kamala Harris, to “be unburdened by what has been (in 2024) for what can be (in 2028).