Democrats are on a roll: Here’s how to ride the wave to November

The 2022 primary season is finally waning down. With only a handful of races left to be decided, Democratic chances of keeping their majorities in the U.S. House and Senate and winning key state and local races in November are growing, thanks to a strong field of highly qualified candidates with records of leadership and problem-solving who embrace moderate positions. 

In contrast, in several key states and races across the country, Republican primary voters have nominated far-right extremists who in many cases embrace defeated former President Donald Trump’s false claim that he won the 2020 presidential election and was robbed of victory by both Republican and Democratic state and local officials who rigged the election. 

Many of these radical Republicans have never run for office before and are less qualified for government positions than I am to be an NFL quarterback. Still, Democrats must become much more aggressive in talking to and motivating voters of all backgrounds to support them this fall. 

Here are a few of my recommendations to Democratic campaign managers and others working across the country.

First, take our campaigns directly to Democratic, Republican and Independent voters using GOTV, which stands for “Get Out the Vote” drives, not just “Go On Television.” Focus particular attention on people who often skip voting in midterm elections. The time to begin these voter drives is now, not two weeks before Election Day. We should remember that millions of people will start voting next month and many more will be voting absentee in October. Again, this is a big change from the pre-pandemic years.

Second, Democrats have positive cases to focus on, including the major achievements of the administration of President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris and Democrats in Congress, including:  

• The Inflation Reduction Act, which will reduce health insurance and prescription drug costs for millions of Americans, fight dangerous climate change, impose a minimum tax on multibillion-dollar corporations and crack down on wealthy tax cheats. 
•  The $1.9 trillion American Rescue Plan that funded free COVID-19 vaccinations and treatments and sent checks to most Americans and many small businesses to help them cope with the pandemic. 
• The $1.2 trillion infrastructure law to improve America’s roads, bridges, mass transit, rail, airports, ports, waterways and energy systems, all the while creating good jobs.  
• The most significant gun safety reforms in 30 years.
• On top of this, Biden issued an executive order Wednesday canceling $10,000 in student loan debt for individuals earning less than $125,000 a year or living in households earning less than $250,000 annually. People who received Pell grants for low-income students will get $20,000 in student loan debt canceled. Some 45 million people owe $1.6 trillion in federal student loan debt. 

Third, remind voters that the disruption and deaths caused by the pandemic are easing, gasoline prices have plummeted by more than $1 a gallon since June, inflation is slowing, the unemployment rate is down to only 3.5 percent in July (the lowest since before the pandemic), supply chain bottlenecks are clearing up, Biden has rallied the world in support of Ukraine against Russian aggression and expanded the NATO alliance, and al Qaeda leader Ayman al-Zawahiri was killed in a U.S. drone strike ordered by Biden. 

Lastly, Democrats must draw attention to how millions of Americans would suffer if Republicans take control of one or both chambers of Congress or state houses because of the GOP’s radical positions of opposing the common sense solutions discussed above. It needs to be stressed that all of these accomplishments took place while Democrats held a razor-thin majority in the House and had to deal with an evenly split Senate. Under the circumstances, the Democrats’ legislative achievements are truly astonishing, but further progress will be impossible if Republicans make even minimal gains in November.

In primary races, Trump has attacked Republicans who might be able to win general election campaigns and thrown his support to sycophantic candidates who accept his Big Lie that he was reelected two years ago and shower him with praise. This has produced nominees popular with Trump’s base but not with the rest of the electorate.

Some Trump-endorsed candidates who have won their party’s nominations have said they would have refused to certify Biden as the winner of the 2020 presidential race and have given indications they would declare Trump the winner if he runs in 2024 regardless of what voters decide. They don’t just oppose Democrats; they oppose democracy.

In addition, some Republican nominees have called for ending entitlement funding for Social Security and Medicare (meaning funding could be cut), advocated for reduced aid to public schools, called for sugarcoating American history in public schools to cover up the role of racism, and favor tax cuts for the rich that would result in soaring deficits and less funding for vital programs.

The Republican civil war fueled by Trump has left the party disunited, with Republicans like Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan, who is term-limited, saying he will not vote for Dan Cox, the Trump-endorsed GOP nominee for governor. Hogan has called Cox “a nut” and “a QAnon whack job” who “is not, in my opinion, mentally stable.” Even Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) has decried the sad “candidate quality” of the current crop of GOP nominees.  

To take advantage of the weak GOP field, Democrats must focus on the issues and put party labels aside to demonstrate to voters which party can accomplish the most for the American people. From fighting inflation to getting people vaccinated to reopening schools and repairing roads, bridges and tunnels, to connecting every community, it’s Democrats who are driving forward and looking at the road ahead, while many Republicans are focused on the rearview mirror and Trump’s election defeat.  

These developments, along with the willingness of Democrats to campaign everywhere, should leave the party optimistic that, unlike in most midterm elections, the party in the White House will come out stronger in November. The mixture of a marvelously productive two years for Democrats and the weakness of Republican nominees has created the opportunity for historic wins in 2022. We need to grasp that opportunity.

Donna Brazile is a political strategist, a contributor to ABC News and former chair of the Democratic National Committee. She is the author of “Hacks: Inside the Break-ins and Breakdowns That Put Donald Trump in the White House.”