Democrats Reckon With Deeper Crisis Beyond Fundraising Woes

[Social Media]

 

Democrats Reckon With Deeper Crisis Beyond Fundraising Woes

 

Despite outspending Donald Trump in the 2024 presidential race, Democrats are facing a painful reckoning. According to party strategists, donors, and campaign aides, the problem wasn’t money—it was messaging, strategy, and a growing disconnect with voters. As the party looks ahead to the midterms and beyond, there is growing consensus that a cash advantage is no substitute for a compelling vision that resonates with the electorate.

 

“The challenges that Democrats are having right now you can’t completely buy your way out of,” said Democratic strategist Joel Payne. “You can’t spend your way out of the type of political challenge that we’re in right now. It’s going to take more than spending and trying to overwhelm the other side with your bank account.”

 

After a demoralizing election year that saw former Vice President Kamala Harris lose to Trump despite record-breaking fundraising, many in the party now admit that their broader issues stem from a failure to connect with voters. As a result, enthusiasm from major donors has cooled. Some are refusing to fund campaigns until they see real change in strategy.

 

“Nothing raises money more than winning,” said Democratic mega-donor John Morgan. “When sports teams are losing, even the people with season tickets don’t go.” Morgan emphasized the importance of a targeted strategy for the upcoming midterms. He believes Democrats should invest specifically in a dozen congressional seats that are truly competitive. “You got to put your money in those toss-up seats,” he said. “That’s got to be first on the agenda.” He added, “When you win, from that perch, you can raise more money. But Democrats have to be patient and not try and eat the whole pie at once.”

 

The frustration is palpable among Democratic donors. One contributor, who has withheld donations since the November losses, pointed to widespread failures across the board. “Why would I write a check when we’re losing everything? We’re losing the airwaves. We’re losing the tech battle. We’re losing the ground game. They have yet to prove that they have learned any real lessons yet,” the donor said. “So either people start to wake up or we lose again.”

 

Tensions within the party were further inflamed by a recent New York Times report revealing that top Democratic operatives had gathered at luxury resorts, including a Ritz-Carlton in Half Moon Bay, California, to discuss strategy. The event was hosted by Future Forward, a super PAC that had supported Harris’s reelection campaign. Attendees included California Governor Gavin Newsom and Kentucky Governor Andy Beshear—both frequently floated as potential 2028 presidential candidates.

 

Among the party's supporters, there is also mounting dissatisfaction with Democratic leadership. One donor expressed disappointment in Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer and said House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries “hasn’t effectively stepped into Nancy Pelosi’s shoes.” The donor argued that Democrats are losing the political narrative and lack a central, unifying figure. “Look, here’s the thing: Both sides are always going to have enough money to compete,” the donor said.

 

“But most Democratic donors think the way we spent money during the last election is dumb, whether it’s TV ads, or bad data and analytics. And we don’t have a leader. They’re going to have more money than God because they have Trump. He’s the leader of the party and they have an unlimited amount of money as long as he wants to put in the time. And he’s not an idiot. He knows his legacy is tied to this.”

 

Voter confidence in the Democratic Party has also taken a noticeable hit. An Associated Press-NORC poll in March showed that only one-third of Democrats felt even “somewhat optimistic” about the future of their party, a sharp decline from July 2024, when 60 percent expressed a positive outlook.

 

Garry South, a veteran strategist based in California, summed up the party’s predicament with a blunt metaphor. “The loss to Trump in the 2024 election certainly can’t be blamed on Democrats raising insufficient funds,” he said. “Despite her late start, Harris still raised more than $1 billion, breaking all records for a presidential campaign. It brings to mind the old saying, you can’t sell cat food if the cats don’t like it.”

 

As Democrats regroup ahead of the next electoral cycle, one thing is clear: money may help win elections, but without a message that resonates, it may not matter how much they spend.

 

  Adapted by ASEAN Now from The Hill  2025-05-30

 

 

[thesetat]

4 hours ago, Social Media said:

After a demoralizing election year that saw former Vice President Kamala Harris lose to Trump despite record-breaking fundraising, many in the party now admit that their broader issues stem from a failure to connect with voters. As a result, enthusiasm from major donors has cooled. Some are refusing to fund campaigns until they see real change in strategy.

The Dems used hate for Trump as their campaign platform and they still do it even here in AN.  A hate campaign will never win. 

Also, the Dems relied on a putz that was only a face in the WH for 4 years as VP. She had no message to give to the people in her campaign at all. 

Then you have the lies and cover-ups the Dems utilized about Biden that are still coming into light even now. 

Of course let us all not forget the Dems push for wokeism that only the LGBT+++ community wanted. But the normal average citizen did not. 

The Dems have failed miserably to show any reason why people, even other Dems should vote for them. The Dems fail to see why they even lost the elections. 

Even now the Dems push to use the courts to support their hate agenda against Trump simply because they have not learned any lessons from their history of doing it previously. Rather than allowing changes the voters want they fight simpy because it is not their agenda. So the Dems are still out of touch with what their own constituents want and it is obvious they only fight against change because it takes their power away. 

Until the Dems can open their eyes and actually see what the people want and make plans to help the Americans rather than help themselves stay in power, they will lose in elections. As seen with Trump, the people want someone who is seeking to improve American life, not others in other countries. Even if it means voting for a man convicted in courts. That says a lot about how the people think and feel in the US. The Dems have dropped the ball and refuse to look at anything objectively. If they do not change their vision and tactics, they will not hold the WH for many years to come. 

[EVENKEEL]

Please continue calling Trump and his supporters nazis, fascists, hitler. Worked so well last election.

[blaze master]

1 minute ago, EVENKEEL said:

Please continue calling Trump and his supporters nazis, fascists, hitler. Worked so well last election.

 

Or repeating stupid slogans.

[JonnyF]

The problem was Harris and her patronizing word salad, including putting on "black voice" when addressing black people. 

 

Not to mention all the lies about Biden's cognitive state, gaslighting the public and telling them not to believe what they were seeing, but what CNN was telling them.

 

Shameful. 

[spidermike007]

There are many reasons why Trump won the election and one of the primary reasons was the fact that the Democratic Party was and remains completely broken, completely off point, totally out of touch with what it is that Americans want to hear, and there is no doubt that aligning themselves with a progressive left was a huge mistake, and they paid the price for it.

 

I'm hopeful that some younger Democratic leaders can come along and help to guide the party into the future. 2 years ago somebody should have slapped the hell out of Biden and forced him to step aside, not doing so was a horrific mistake. They handed the reigns to a lying maniac. 

[FlorC]

7 minutes ago, spidermike007 said:

There are many reasons why Trump won the election and one of the primary reasons was the fact that the Democratic Party was and remains completely broken, completely off point, totally out of touch with what it is that Americans want to hear, and there is no doubt that aligning themselves with a progressive left was a huge mistake, and they paid the price for it.

 

I'm hopeful that some younger Democratic leaders can come along and help to guide the party into the future. 2 years ago somebody should have slapped the hell out of Biden and forced him to step aside, not doing so was a horrific mistake. They handed the reigns to a lying maniac. 

In stead of a politburo of lying manics with an autopen.

[frank83628]

20 minutes ago, EVENKEEL said:

Please continue calling Trump and his supporters nazis, fascists, hitler. Worked so well last election.

Don't forget they're racists too. 

[Prubangboy]

Who really had control of the auto pen ?

 

Whenever I ask, trump trash runs away.

[Yagoda]

15 minutes ago, spidermike007 said:

They handed the reigns to a lying maniac. 

Its folks like you that have guaranteed I will never vote for anyone with a D as a party designation. 

 

Based on what I read here and elsewhere, the Dems are hate filled racist anti american, anti semitic, deranged Luddite/Socialists who seek nothing more than the destruction of my country.

[thesetat]

3 minutes ago, Prubangboy said:

Who really had control of the auto pen ?

 

Whenever I ask, trump trash runs away.

https://san.com/cc/4-biden-staffers-lawyer-up-amid-autopen-house-probe/

An interesting story. That shows there is a belief even minor staff to Biden was allowed access to use the autopen. 

Trumps team is asserting that Senator Warren controlled the use of that autopen. 

https://nypost.com/2025/05/28/us-news/trump-ai-czar-claims-sen-elizabeth-warren-controlled-the-autopen-for-biden/

Meanwhile the investigation drags on without any real evidence or confessions. 

It will be interesting to see how that fans out. But in reality I think everyone knows it was not Biden controlling things in the WH

[nick supreme]

2 minutes ago, thesetat said:

https://san.com/cc/4-biden-staffers-lawyer-up-amid-autopen-house-probe/

An interesting story. That shows there is a belief even minor staff to Biden was allowed access to use the autopen. 

Trumps team is asserting that Senator Warren controlled the use of that autopen. 

https://nypost.com/2025/05/28/us-news/trump-ai-czar-claims-sen-elizabeth-warren-controlled-the-autopen-for-biden/

Meanwhile the investigation drags on without any real evidence or confessions. 

It will be interesting to see how that fans out. But in reality I think everyone knows it was not Biden controlling things in the WH

 

Of course Joe Biden was in control of the auto pen.   He knew what was going on. 

[nick supreme]

11 minutes ago, Prubangboy said:

Who really had control of the auto pen ?

 

Whenever I ask, trump trash runs away.

Who did you ask?

[EVENKEEL]

14 minutes ago, frank83628 said:

Don't forget they're racists too. 

You're correct, I forgot racist and all the other ist's.

[newbee2022]

46 minutes ago, EVENKEEL said:

Please continue calling Trump and his supporters nazis, fascists, hitler. Worked so well last election.

Within the next 4 years Americans will realize it.

Or do you think all Americans are stupid??😳

[frank83628]

12 minutes ago, spidermike007 said:

There are many reasons why Trump won the election and one of the primary reasons was the fact that the Democratic Party was and remains completely broken, completely off point, totally out of touch with what it is that Americans want to hear, and there is no doubt that aligning themselves with a progressive left was a huge mistake, and they paid the price for it.

 

I'm hopeful that some younger Democratic leaders can come along and help to guide the party into the future. 2 years ago somebody should have slapped the hell out of Biden and forced him to step aside, not doing so was a horrific mistake. They handed the reigns to a lying maniac. 

They should have removed him from office due to his cognitive decline, instead they denied it totally, media covered for them and they were left in a mess after that infamous debate.

 

[Yagoda]

27 minutes ago, nick supreme said:

Of course Joe Biden was in control of the auto pen.   He knew what was going on. 

Like Russia Russia Russia, after a few more months, only the truly deranged will be saying that.

 

A hoax is a hoax because the perpetuators start beleiving it.

[impulse]

5 hours ago, Social Media said:

Despite outspending Donald Trump in the 2024 presidential race, Democrats are facing a painful reckoning. According to party strategists, donors, and campaign aides, the problem wasn’t money

 

Money wasn't their problem.  The money was their grift.

 

[impulse]

19 minutes ago, newbee2022 said:

Within the next 4 years Americans will realize it.

Or do you think all Americans are stupid??

 

Not nearly as stupid as some of the posters here.

 

[newbee2022]

10 minutes ago, impulse said:

 

Not nearly as stupid as some of the posters here.

 

Well, not even 40% of Americans support him. So, these are the stupid. 

[Eric Loh]

23 minutes ago, newbee2022 said:

Within the next 4 years Americans will realize it.

Or do you think all Americans are stupid??😳

4 months and TRump's regime is already on a self destructive mode and out of touch with the people. He is cocooned within his fantasy bubble surrounded by grovelling placating sycophants.  

[newbee2022]

Just now, Eric Loh said:

4 months and TRump's regime is already on a self destructive mode and out of touch with the people. He is cocooned within his fantasy bubble surrounded by grovelling placating sycophants.  

I see. You belong to the 60%. Thanks. I thought I'm the only one.

But wait for the comments 😂😂😂

[Hanaguma]

THE big thing for the Democrats is they always try to retool their messaging. Like now, how to talk to the young men, as if they were a different species. Their problem isn'T messaging, it is the message. Until they start getting on the right side of 80/20 issues, they are doomed.

Second, they are afraid of their donors and the radical left of the party. There is no leadership. 

 

Third, they disdain the American people. The elites look down on regular voters as ignorant and ill educated. 

[Yagoda]

Fox News is reporting that the Biden aides facing possible calls to come before Congress are lawyering up

[Thingamabob]

'...a growing disconnect with voters'. Sounds like political parties in many so-called democracies.

[frank83628]

1 hour ago, impulse said:

 

Money wasn't their problem.  The money was their grift.

 

Did they not end up in debt after too?

[frank83628]

52 minutes ago, newbee2022 said:

Well, not even 40% of Americans support him. So, these are the stupid. 

According to Democrat biased polling

[EVENKEEL]

32 minutes ago, Yagoda said:

Fox News is reporting that the Biden aides facing possible calls to come before Congress are lawyering up

That right there is huge. 

[frank83628]

50 minutes ago, Eric Loh said:

4 months and TRump's regime is already on a self destructive mode and out of touch with the people. He is cocooned within his fantasy bubble surrounded by grovelling placating sycophants.  

That's you acronym guys that are in a fantasy bubble

[newbee2022]

Just now, frank83628 said:

According to Democrat biased polling

God sake, not by Democrats....only l.

Trump's melting brain is quite well known to all Americans since the tariff and visa desaster 😂