Democrats were told to “embrace patriotism” and “get out of elite circles” last month during a retreat focused on how to regain the working-class vote.
Documents first obtained by Politico detailed a “Comeback Retreat” held by the center-left political group Third Way last month that sought “to deliberate on why Democrats are struggling with working-class voters around cultural issues, the nature of the economic trust gap with this critical group and ideas for how to address both problems.”
The documents, later obtained by Fox News Digital, summarized key takeaways from the retreat on why Democrats have a “cultural disconnect” with the working class and why Democrats are “not trusted” when it comes to the economy.
Republicans made significant gains with working-class voters in the 2024 election. (Joe Raedle/Getty Images)
Most takeaways focused on Democrats’ “faculty lounge” problem of being seen as too judgmental and beholden to their far-left members.
“Democrats are often viewed as judgmental, out-of-touch, and dismissive of those without elite education or progressive views,” the documents read. “This makes the party seem disconnected from everyday people.”
“Activist groups and progressive staffers push unpopular cultural positions, making it seem like Democrats are more extreme than they actually are,” the document continued. “Operatives and campaigns must remember that activist groups exist to promote their single issue and raise money around it, not to make Democrats electable.”
They also listed ways to “emphasize shared values and cultural alignment” and “reduce far-left influence and infrastructure.”
Solutions included “embrace patriotism, community, and traditional American imagery,” “ban far-left candidate questionnaires and refuse to participate in forums that create ideological purity tests” and “reconnect with values like hard work, rugged individualism, and entrepreneurialism.”
The retreat included warnings about the “far-left influence” within the Democratic Party. (AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin)
Fox News Digital reached out to the Democratic National Committee for comment.
Third Way confirmed the retreat took place in a comment to Fox News Digital and explained the purpose behind it.
“The 2024 election revealed the profound weakness of the Democratic brand. The urgent task for Democrats is to confront the cultural disconnect and repair the economic trust gap with working-class voters, which was the focus of Third Way’s retreat,” a Third Way spokesperson said. “While the challenges facing the party are stark, there are some opportunities. With a thread-bare margin in the House, Democrats have an opportunity to take back power in 2026 by focusing on how Trump’s chaos is costing voters, who were hoping inflation would go down. We’ve got to learn the right lessons to broaden our party’s appeal, show that we understand and are focused on the priorities of voters and not activist groups, and pick strategic fights.”
MINORITY WORKING CLASS VOTERS EXPLAIN TO THE NEW YORK TIMES WHY DEMOCRATS HAVE LOST THEIR SUPPORT
Democratic solutions included efforts to move away from “elite circles” and reconnect with values like individualism. (Left: (Photo by Leigh Vogel/WireImage), Circle: (Photo by: Michael Siluk/UCG/Universal Images Group via Getty Images))
The spokesperson added, “Fortunately, Democrats have a deep bench of talented leaders to get that message out to voters. The next nominee must be electable and able to offer a compelling, moderate alternative to right-wing populism and that will be our focus over the next four years.”
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