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The Dems’ Flight 93 Essay

A new 2024 postmortem, released on the eve of the D.N.C.’s own self-autopsy, makes the case for Democrats cutting the cord with left-wing party activists and winning back normie voters with a return to big-tent, multiracial, middle-class messaging—while learning a little from A.O.C. and Zohran Mamdani, too.

Zohran Mamdani, Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, Bernie Sanders
Simon Bazelon told me that Democrats have as much to learn from the economic messaging of Sanders, Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, and Zohran Mamdani as they do from red and purple state (or district) winners like Ruben Gallego, Marie Gluesenkamp Perez, Mary Peltola, and Jared Golden. Photo: Andres Kudacki/Getty Images
Peter Hamby
October 28, 2025

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Back in February, as Ken Martin was cruising to victory in his race to be chairman of the Democratic National Committee, he told committee members at a candidate forum that the party’s message was just fine, thank you very much. “Anyone saying we need to start over with a new message is wrong,” Martin said. “We got the right message.”