Newsom, Ocasio-Cortez lead Democrats searching for an audience

When California Gov. Gavin Newsom (D) launched his podcast last week, his comments on transgender athletes made headlines.

Republicans used it to mock how far left Democrats have become. And the podcast, aptly named “This is Gavin Newsom,” also sparked backlash from Democrats.

But the point is, it got some attention — and that's exactly what Democrats are seeking to do on the heels of their loss in November.

Since then, Democrats have been trying to reclaim the political conversation, anxious to reconnect with voters not just behind a podium or in social media posts. They're “creating moments,” as one strategist put it, in other ways.

While Newsom, widely seen as a presidential contender for 2028, launched a podcast, Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.) is hitting the road in the coming weeks alongside Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.). The duo is expected to speak not just to Democrats but Republicans as well.

Democratic operatives familiar with the matter say they expect other lawmakers to hit the road in blue states, purple states and even red states in an effort to leave the Beltway parlance behind them and speak face-to-face with voters.

“Democrats are feeling more license and permission to go out and take their message to communities,” said Democratic strategist Joel Payne. “What we are already seeing from Senator Sanders I think will be replicated by others, and it's a healthy way for Democrats to rebuild trust and reconnect with part of the electorate that have soured on the Democratic brand.”

That’s easier said than done.

President Trump has dominated news cycles, leaving little breathing room for anyone or anything else.

Trump, who has always been a master of branding, has also found a way of creating his own moments, holding near-daily gaggles with reporters in the Oval Office. And while he has only been in office less than two months, he has sat for a string of one-on-one interviews — albeit mostly with conservative hosts — something his predecessor, former President Biden, didn’t do.

Last week, Democrats sought to create a moment by making a video that featured several Democratic congresswomen pretending to box in a video game-style mashup that read “Choose Your Fighter.”

Ocasio-Cortez self-identified as a “trekkie.” House Minority Whip Katherine Clark (D-Mass.) said she was “not into hair dye” while Rep. Judy Chu (D-Calif.) called herself “too sweet.”

The video was widely mocked, but Rep. Marilyn Strickland (D-Wash.) in a CNN interview last week defended it.

“So when you think about TikTok as a trend, we are trying to reach out to different people and different voters. And the one woman who produced this is an influencer with 7 million followers. So this is lighthearted, it’s fun. And every time you do something creative, you’re going to get criticism, right?” Strickland said on CNN, after hose Abby Phillip asked about the video’s rationale.

“But I actually applaud them for trying to do something different,” Strickland added.

A number of Democrats, however, didn’t think the effort worked.

“I’ll tell you one thing, Republicans will continue to win if we keep doing that,” one Democratic strategist said. “That didn’t help, it actually hurt us. This is why we lost in November because we’re so f---ing divorced from reality.”

“We’re the same party who thought holding signs that say 'false' as the president speaks is an effective strategy to speak to the American people. It’s absurd.”

The strategist and other operatives told The Hill that the party needs to do a better job of communicating to voters who are not attuned to politics.

But that starts with the right messenger.

Sanders, who is 83 and is not running for president in 2028, is drawing crowds in thousands in swing states like Wisconsin and Michigan. In an interview with The Associated Press this week, Sanders said “the country is in trouble and I want to play my role.”

Ocasio-Cortez, who many consider to be a presidential contender, told the AP she is joining Sanders to help organize the anti-Trump movement.

“You look around — who else is doing it? No one,” she said. “My hope is that the dam will break in terms of Democrats going on offense. … We need to take the argument directly to the people.”

Newsom, who is among the front-runners in the 2028 race for president, created a moment for himself when he told his podcast guest Charlie Kirk, a conservative activist, that he thinks transgender girls and women playing in sports is “deeply unfair.”

And while the comments had lawmakers on both sides scratching their heads, Newsom arguably got what he wanted. His podcast landed in the top 10 on Apple Podcasts this week.

“People can trash him all they want, but at least he's trying,” the Democratic strategist said. “Can’t say the same about a lot of other folks in our party.”

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