A way forward – and a warning – for Democrats: from the political office

Welcome to the online version of From the political officean evening newsletter that brings you the latest reporting and analysis from the NBC News Politics team from the White House, Capitol Hill and the campaign trail.

In today’s edition, political reporter Alexandra Marquez reports from the Democratic Governors Association’s annual meeting, where state party leaders were full of concerns and ideas about how to approach the next elections. Plus, we look at the Senate math and what it means that the Democratic class of 2006 is mostly gone or lost seats.

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Democratic governors want to set a different tone for their party in a second Trump administration

By Alexandra Marquez

Democrats are still reeling and reflecting on what went so wrong for their party this year. But at the annual gathering of Democratic governors in California, they were in complete agreement that something had to change for their party — and, in their eyes, hopefully, one of them — have a real chance at the White House in 2028.

“We can worry later about who we run for president (in 2028) or policy changes,” New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy told NBC News, adding that for now, Democrats need to “build the foundation, build the infrastructure, elect a DNC.” president who is committed to doing just that.

And amid a speech aimed at rededicating the party to improving the daily lives of voters, addressing key issues such as inflation, healthcare, infrastructure, transportation and education , Kentucky Governor Andy Beshear warned Democrats of a major obstacle to their redefinition ambitions. : President-elect Donald Trump.

Under the last Trump administration, people focused “too much on Trump and what was happening in Washington and not enough on (Democratic) priorities,” Beshear said.

“Don’t set us against them,” he said. “It’s not a winning strategy.”

At other levels of the party… including among certain militant “resistance” groups that rose to prominence during Trump’s first term — there is already broad consensus that Democrats cannot respond to Trump in the same way they did eight years ago.

But some of the most prominent governors, who are among those mentioned as potential presidential candidates, quickly moved to make their states a bulwark against Trumpism after his election. California Governor Gavin Newsom called a special legislative sessionwhile Illinois Governor JB Pritzker explained how “consolidate» his state against Trump.

Others, in purple and red states, have adopted less aggressive postures. At Democratic Governors Association meetings, Beshear and fellow red-state Democratic Gov. Laura Kelly of Kansas said they would seek space to work with Trump on areas that would benefit their constituents.

Read more →

The famous Democratic Senate class of 2006 has all but disappeared. Here’s why it’s important.

By Mark Murray

The famous Senate Democratic class of 2006 – the six Senate Democrats who flipped GOP-held seats during that midterm cycle – fueled Democratic majorities over the past two decades, helped lead to adoption of the party’s legislative achievements over the next fifteen years and included some of the Democrats. the best performers at the electoral level in the most difficult states.

Now, after the 2024 elections, only one of the six will remain in the Senate starting next year: Sheldon Whitehouse of Rhode Island.

This attrition tells an important story about the geographic transformation of American politics over the past 20 years and highlights the Democratic Party’s difficult path back to the Senate majority after its defeats in November.

The first member of the class of 2006 to leave was Virginia’s Jim Webb, who decided not to run again in 2012 — but whose seat remained in Democratic hands along with Tim Kaine.

Next in line was Claire McCaskill of Missouri, who won re-election in 2012 but lost six years later in 2018.

And in 2024, three more members of that vaunted class lost as Donald Trump won their states: Jon Tester of Montana, Sherrod Brown of Ohio, and Bob Casey of Pennsylvania.

Senate Democrats began the 21st century winning in states like Missouri, Montana, and Ohio. (Just as importantly, Republicans held Senate seats in places like Rhode Island and Virginia.) Now? It seems inconceivable that Democrats could win federal elections in these three states, let alone ones like West Virginia and North Dakota.

And that reality underscores Democrats’ challenge to win back the Senate in 2026 or 2028 — and beyond. After the recent elections, the party controls all but one Senate seat in every state won by Kamala Harris. (The only exception? Susan Collins in Maine.) Democrats also hold 10 of the 14 Senate seats in the seven key presidential states.

Yet this only gives them 47 seats in the Senate. Even if they defeat Collins and flip the other four Senate seats in battleground states (two in North Carolina, one in Wisconsin, one in Pennsylvania) while retaining the others, that will cap at 52. If the Democrats want more than that, they’ll need to figure out how to win again in places like Missouri, Ohio and other now reliable states.

There’s another important story about the Democratic class of 2006: At the start of this election cycle, few observers thought Democrats would be able to flip more than two Senate seats, let alone six.

But the unpopularity of the Iraq War and the George W. Bush administration have expanded the Senate battleground far beyond initial expectations.

It reminds us that no political map stays in place forever. It always changes.

That’s all that’s coming from the politburo for now. If you have any comments (like or dislike), please email us at politicsnewsletter@nbcuni.com

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