(NewsNation) — As Democrats try to work their way out of the political wilderness and find a message that resonates with voters, some marquee names in the Democratic Party are holding town halls with Americans around the country.
Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz — the former candidate for vice president — held three town halls in the past week in Des Moines, Iowa; Omaha, Nebraska; and Eau Claire, Wisconsin.
Starting Thursday, Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y., will join Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., on his “Fighting Oligarchy: Where We Go From Here” tour in Nevada, Arizona and Colorado.
The press release from the Sanders team says the tour is targeting districts narrowly won by Republicans in 2024, “serving as a pressure campaign to force vulnerable congresspeople to vote against any cuts to Medicaid, housing, nutrition, education and other basic needs to pay for more tax breaks for the richest people in this country.”
These events, and others being held by Democrats, aim to hone the party’s message after losing the White House, Senate and House in November.
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They also hope to prove that they’re actively listening to voters and highlight that many Republican representatives have canceled town halls after facing voters upset at the chaos they’ve experienced since President Donald Trump began his second term.
Walz said his goal is to respond to the “primal scream of ‘God dang it, do something’” that he was hearing.
At Tuesday’s town hall in Wisconsin, he made digs at Elon Musk, Trump, Republicans who were not holding town halls as well as the Democratic Party.
Walz noted many times that Democrats, including himself, did not do a good job of explaining why their programs and policies were better and that people didn’t think Democrats were fighting for them.
“When can an unelected South African nepo baby be able to cut our programs? Again, I will own this. Ninety million people stayed home because they didn’t think there’d be any difference. … That responsibility falls back on me, and it falls on us to define who we are,” said Walz.
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The governor also acknowledged that while Democrats need to spread their message everywhere, it also needs to be simpler.
Though he disagreed with Trump’s methods, he conceded they were effective. The Trump campaign “made it simple…the contrast…‘Kamala’s for they/them, Trump is for you.’ Demonizing a group of people, but the simplicity was just brutal,” said Walz.
Walz asked the audience what Democratic action in the age of Trump looks like to them. One suggestion was for Senate Democrats to mimic what GOP Senator Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., did under former Democratic President Barack Obama’s administration, which was to try and slow or even stop the White House’s agenda from moving forward.
There was also a call for Democrats to say what they’ll do differently, including fighting for universal health care and labor unions, fighting against climate change and getting money and Musk out of politics.
At the Wisconsin event, Walz also encouraged attendees to get involved in the competitive race for state Supreme Court taking place on April 4. He expressed disgust that Elon Musk had donated millions of dollars to try to defeat the candidate supported by Democrats.
