As midterms loom, Democrats learn to speak a new language: American

As the midterms approach, Democratic candidates are learning to communicate with a new language: that of American voters. During a CNN and Jubilee Town Hall last week, Texas Senate candidate James Talarico sought to distance himself from the Biden administration's perceived failure to secure the southern border by stating, "I'm a border security Democrat."

This is part of a trend among Democratic mid-term election hopefuls who are adopting language that pivots away from past election failures. To remain viable politically, the Democratic Party must reconnect with voters alienated by its perception of contempt for conservative Americans, including those who previously formed the backbone of the party's blue-collar base but have since defected to President Donald Trump's MAGA movement.

A key approach is crafting messaging on affordability that resonates with working Americans and underscores the connection between Trump's decisions, like the Iran war, and the rising costs of groceries, gasoline, and housing. However, Democrats also face a linguistic challenge as they try to speak like the voters they aim to attract without alienating their new base of liberal urban and highly educated voters.

Over the years, Democratic messaging has often come across as academic, esoteric, politically correct, or filled with jargon. Terms like "unhoused people" and "birthing people" were adopted to show respect for the humanity and individual rights of marginalized or vulnerable individuals. Nevertheless, this language has occasionally obscured meaning and repelled voters with more conservative values.

In some instances, Republicans have exploited Democratic language to create divisions between the party and persuadable voters and suggest a leftward shift. The most impactful ad of the 2024 election season targeted Democratic nominee Kamala Harris on transgender issues, implying that "Kamala is for they/them. President Trump is for you."

One of the most notorious examples of poorly chosen language that has haunted Democrats is Hillary Clinton's 2016 comment about Trump supporters being part of a "basket of deplorables," which provided MAGA with a rallying cry to underscore Trump's claim that establishment elites disdained his supporters. Nevertheless, Democrats have been competitive in more states than expected during this year's midterms due to selecting candidates who sound like their respective states.

In North Carolina, Senate nominee Roy Cooper has developed a colloquial way to argue he'd "Make Stuff Cost Less," aiming to rebuild the broadened coalition that helped him win twice as governor in a reliably Republican state.