Donald Trump has hit a new low, with a 36% approval rating as reported by Newsweek. Democrats are still less popular than Republicans nonetheless. Democrats keep treating low-propensity voters like an unreliable demographic instead of a betrayed constituency. Party leaders talk endlessly about the danger of Trump, accurately, but refuse to acknowledge the obvious: fear only mobilizes people when they believe the alternative will actually fight for them. Low-propensity voters are not apathetic. They are exhausted, broke, and unconvinced the Democratic Party represents their interests. If Democrats want those voters to show up, they cannot keep running campaigns that feel like hostage negotiations. They need a bold, material agenda, and yes, that means embracing democratic socialism.

The party’s current model is a motivation killer. It is a hollow promise of stability paired with policy choices that preserve the status quo. Leadership still behaves like politics is primarily a donor-management project. That mindset produces the same predictable results: timid policy, consultant-driven messaging, and candidates pitched as “safe.” But “safe” does not inspire turnout. It rarely even earns loyalty. When voters are struggling to afford rent, childcare, and medical bills, a party promising incrementalism sounds less like governance and more like surrender. Who is genuinely motivated by Janet Mills, who does not really have a message other than “I have been in office for a while and I’m old!” Graham Platner, despite his own faults, actually has a message that is bringing Mainer’s out to town halls.

Worse, party leadership has increasingly signaled that billionaires matter more than the voter base. In a moment where the public is demanding universal health care, Democrats are still reluctant to take on the insurance industry. In a moment when core Democratic voters want an end to the war in Gaza and an end to unconditional military and trade support for Israel, party leaders continue to vote for more funding while dismissing outrage as a PR problem. And while voters want ICE funding cut or at least dramatically reduced, Democrats keep repeating “we’re not going to increase ICE funding” as if that is the same thing. We cannot keep acting as though reinforcing the deportation machine is necessary in any way, even after the killing of Renee Good. That is not triangulation. That is abandonment of our voter base.

The contradictions have become impossible to ignore. Senator Cory Booker can give a marathon 25-hour speech about injustice and inequality, then turn around to meet with Netanyahu and vote to continue funding the same policies he should have condemned in theory. This is why so many voters now see Democratic leadership as controlled opposition. Not because Democrats and Republicans are identical, but because Democratic leadership keeps proving it will not use power to confront the systems crushing ordinary people. Fundraising dinners with tech elites and billionaire donors send a louder message than any campaign ad. They tell working-class voters that the party would rather answer upward than be accountable downward.

If Democrats genuinely want to defeat Trumpism, they have to offer more than competence and warnings. They need to inspire a mass politics rooted in dignity and material transformation. Democratic socialism is not a fringe aesthetic. It is simply the belief that people deserve health care, housing, fair wages, and freedom from endless war, and that democracy should apply to the economy, not just elections. That platform motivates low-propensity voters because it respects them. It does not ask them to settle for “better than fascism.” It asks them to fight for a future worth showing up for. And in 2026 and beyond, Democrats cannot afford another safe pick. They need a real movement.

Gambit Forecaster’s most recent model shows Republicans strongly favored to maintain their 53-47 Senate majority, with Democrats picking up Maine but losing Michigan. In that forecast, Democrats win the Senate about 9.96% of the time overall, which tells you something important: the path exists, but it is narrow. View State Watch page here.

This article was written by Sam Massey.