David Axelrod, a veteran Democratic strategist and former senior adviser to Barack Obama, has issued sharp critiques of his own party in recent months, highlighting strategic missteps and a disconnect from core constituencies. His criticisms focus on three main areas: the party’s alienation of working-class voters, counterproductive confrontational tactics, and misprioritized policy defenses.
Axelrod argues Democrats have become overly reliant on “smarty-pants, suburban, college-educated” voters while hemorrhaging support among working-class Americans. He noted that in the 2024 election, Democrats while suffering “significant declines” among blue-collar voters. This shift, he warns, undermines the party’s identity as a champion of everyday workers:
> “You can’t win national elections that way, and it certainly shouldn’t be that way for a party that fashions itself as the party of working people”.
Axelrod condemned Democratic lawmakers’ disruptive behavior during Donald Trump’s March 2025 congressional address, particularly Rep. Al Green’s (D-TX) heckling and ejection from the chamber. He called Green’s actions and contrasted them with historical leadership:
> “Abraham Lincoln… said, ‘With malice toward none, with charity for all’… That’s the difference between real leadership and political expediency”.
He praised Sen. Elissa Slotkin’s (D-MI) measured official Democratic response as a better model, urging the party to focus on problem-solving over performative outrage.
Axelrod warned Democrats are falling into a trap by vocally opposing Trump’s dismantling of agencies like USAID, which polls show is broadly viewed as bureaucratic excess. While acknowledging USAID’s humanitarian role, he cautioned:
> “Trump will be well satisfied to have this fight… When you talk about cuts, the first thing people say is: Cut foreign aid”.
He framed this as part of a broader identity crisis, with Democrats becoming perceived as defenders of rather than advocates for struggling Americans.
Axelrod’s critiques underscore a party struggling to balance principle with pragmatism. Polling shows just 10% of voters believe Democrats have a coherent strategy against Trump, reflecting Axelrod’s warning that . His prescription: fewer stunts, clearer economic messaging, and reconnecting with voters outside coastal urban centers.
