If the polling and news chatter are correct, Democrats are on the verge of a historic win in the House and potentially the Senate. But when the time comes, what will we do with the governing power? The polls have been clear: voters across the country are using our democratic process to express their discontent with an economy that's failing them and are turning away from Trump.
Progressive victories point to the frustration felt across the country. Voters may give us a mandate, and the question is: what will we do with it? Returning to the status quo will not be enough.
Voters will not be patient with excuses, nor will they be satisfied with the adage "that's just not how things get done.” If we fail to really address the concerns that keep voters up at night, we risk reinforcing the belief that the system doesn’t work and that nothing in Washington ever really changes. History doesn't necessarily repeat itself, but it sure does inform. In 2020, President Biden won, but economic anxiety continued to fuel voter dissatisfaction throughout his term.
By 2024, Kamala Harris’ insistence that there was little daylight between her and Biden only reinforced the sense among many voters that all they could expect was more of the same. I saw that frustration firsthand. As co-director of a national network of grassroots organizations that engaged voters before and after the 2024 election, the number one issue expressed at doors was the sense that the economic anxieties of everyday people were invisible to those in power.
Renters were struggling with the housing crisis but only heard proposals around homeownership. Seniors on fixed incomes worried about losing ground with ever-rising costs. Young people were increasingly uncertain that they could build a better future.
And as a result, in 2024, a shocking 90 million people stayed home for the election. While not all of them would have voted for Harris, analysis shows that disengagement played a major role in the outcome. If voters hand Democrats power on November 3, they will expect us to use it.
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