2024 Election Takeaways Report

In the wake of the disappointing election results, Democrats around the country have rightfully been asking questions and looking for answers. While the election margin was close, Democrats lost the White House and U.S. Senate and failed to flip the U.S. House. Nationally, Democrats lost ground with voters in nearly every state and demographic, though some Democratic candidates did much better than the top of the ticket in their states and districts. In the days after the election, NewDEAL turned to our members – state and local elected officials around the nation – for on-the-ground insights outside of Washington, D.C.

• What Went Wrong: The harsh reality is that there isn’t one clear reason we lost the presidency — there were many. But in our interviews, NewDEAL Leaders from across the country told us that voters felt that Democrats were out of touch with their everyday concerns from affordability to cultural issues ti immigration. They also talked about the changing media landscape and plague of disinformation.
• What Went Right: Despite losing the presidency, some Democrats, including NewDEAL Leaders, outperformed the top of the ticket in many swing states and districts. It’s clear that Democrats must make room for a big tent among their candidates, prioritizing people who won their states and districts and making room for people who don’t “check the box” on every issue.
• Where We Go from Here: We asked NewDEAL Leaders to give us their thoughts on the path ahead. Their thoughtful answers included doing a lot more listening, telling voters what we stand for and not just against, and keeping up the work over the next four years, while picking the right spots to call out what Republicans are doing. They also talked about the importance of state and local leaders in the years ahead.