The test in Illinois's Ninth
What Democrats do in this race will show whether we’re serious about winning again.
There is nobody in America more outraged than me at this administration. It is an affront to my country at every level, from our loftiest founding principles to the daily safety and security of ordinary people. But I know that the way to defeat Trump is not by shouting the loudest. It’s by winning the votes of the majority of Americans who are tired of this chaos and waiting for an alternative.
I’m thinking about this after participating in a candidate forum in Chicago on Saturday afternoon in my race for Congress. About a dozen candidates in this large field came to introduce ourselves and answer questions on a range of issues, from immigration to reproductive rights to Israel.
The event reminded me of why I’m part of the Democratic Party. As each candidate gave passionate defenses of choice, of environmental protection, of workers’ rights, or of immigrants’ rights, they made it clear that ours is the party of dignity and equality and that the country needs us.
It also reinforced why I’m so frustrated with this party. As I’ve been writing here, we are totally unprepared for the moment.
First, we don’t understand the fight.
Several candidates talked about their experience getting progressive measures passed in Illinois state and local government, and said that’s exactly what they’d do in Congress. Those statements betrayed a hopeless misunderstanding of what is happening. The Trump Administration is ruling through illegal executive action and intimidation. They’re not interested in bipartisanship or horse-trading with Democrats, and they see standoffs—like the current shutdown—not as calls to negotiate but as excuses to consolidate power. We won’t have a chance to fight for a progressive agenda until we win back the White House in 2028. If we lose, there won’t be one after that either. I don’t care how many bills you sponsored in Illinois—if you’re not working to build a national majority, you’re simply not in the fight.
Second, we aren’t focused on building that majority.
I believe in the core Democratic platform of civil rights and care, but an increasing number of Americans have heard our agenda and rejected it. Unfortunately, the candidates on stage confirmed that Democrats haven’t learned from defeat; they kept saying the same lines that get applause in a room full of Democrats but leave the voters we need to win cold. Even worse, the candidates proposed litmus tests for being a Democrat. Putting up walls to exclude people is insane at a time when we have to expand the party or allow MAGA to stay in power.
We don’t need to sell out our values, particularly since most Americans share them, but we do need to express them in a new way that wins people to our side. In my campaign, that’s a vision for American greatness, propelled by innovation and expansive growth. I would love to hear even one other candidate offer their own vision, because I’m sick to death of the off-the-shelf platform we know will fail.
Third, we don’t understand our role in perpetuating the MAGA era.
For a decade, Trump has been running the same play: he does something outrageous, we respond with outrage, and his supporters call our response extreme and unhinged, rallying his base and weakening our support with swing voters. Everybody’s likes and follower counts go up, but the division lets Trump retain his power. His favorite politician is a Republican who will do whatever he says, but a close second is a Democrat who will give him a foil, keeping the attention and outrage cycle going while doing nothing to build the broad-based support that could stop him. The other candidates on stage didn’t understand that. In fact, they were auditioning for the role.
With each question, I returned to my central point: to accomplish anything, we first have to win. It’s absolutely possible, but we have to adapt to the fight we’re in. We owe that to the people whose lives are on the line, whether they’re at risk of losing their healthcare, can’t afford to take care of their families, or are terrified of raids on their communities.
Yesterday, I saw that this race, in this district, is a test. The nation should watch closely. Do Democrats have the clarity and commitment to win the fight that counts? Or will we run the same comfortable campaigns we’ve been running for years and fail the people counting on us?
