Dems warn fellow party members they cannot ‘spend’ their way out of current ‘political challenge’

Democrats are expressing concerns that simply funneling hefty sums of money into the party’s campaigns and causes may not be enough to help ease its current struggles, The Hill reported Wednesday.

Several Democrats and major donors to the party told The Hill they believe that the party is facing serious challenges that money may not solve, such as struggling to develop political messaging that connects with voters. The report comes after the Democratic Party suffered a brutal loss in the 2024 presidential election, despite former Vice President Kamala Harris massively outraising President Donald Trump.

“The challenges that Democrats are having right now you can’t completely buy your way out of,” Democratic strategist Joel Payne told The Hill. “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.”

Some Democratic donors told The Hill that they are not planning to donate to Democratic causes ahead of the 2026 midterm elections unless the Democratic Party is able to work past some of its current issues.

“Nothing raises money more than winning,” John Morgan, a well-known personal injury attorney and major Democratic donor, told The Hill. “When sports teams are losing, even the people with season tickets don’t go.”

Morgan also told The Hill he thinks Democrats need to focus their efforts on 2026 congressional seats that are considered toss-ups.

“You got to put your money in those toss-up seats,” Morgan told the outlet. “That’s got to be first on the agenda.”

One anonymous Democratic donor said they believe that the Democratic Party has been “losing the airwaves” ahead of the 2026 midterm elections, adding that Democrats need to “start to wake up” before they “lose again,” The Hill reported.

“Why would I write a check when we’re losing everything? We’re losing the airwaves,” the anonymous donor told the outlet. “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.”

“So either people start to wake up or we lose again,” the anonymous donor added.

Some recent polls have shown that many Democrats feel pessimistic about the future of their party. An Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research poll conducted in May found that only about one-third of Democrats said they were “very optimistic” or “somewhat optimistic” about the future of their party.

The Democratic Party is also facing a series of recent polls showing low favorability ratings among Americans. Similarly, an Economist/YouGov survey conducted in May found that only 36% of voters held a favorable view of the Democratic Party, while 41% of respondents said they viewed the Republican Party favorably.

“The loss to Trump in the 2024 election certainly can’t be blamed on Democrats raising insufficient funds,” Garry South, a veteran Democratic strategist based in California, told The Hill. “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,” South added.

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