Democrats struggle to find direction in Trump’s second term

Democrats are facing internal turmoil following a major political setback, as Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer caved to Republicans to prevent a government shutdown. This decision has deepened divisions within the party, leaving Democrats struggling to find a unified message just months into President Donald Trump’s second term.

Stacy Pearson, co-founder of Lumen Strategies, joined “Arizona Horizon” to discuss.

The funding bill, which reduces non-defense spending while increasing allocations for Veterans’ health care, defense and ICE, passed with Senator Schumer’s reluctant support. His move to avoid a filibuster was met with backlash from House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries and progressive Democrats like Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, who expressed frustration over what they saw as a betrayal of party values.

The disarray within the Democratic Party was further highlighted by Representative Jeffries’ refusal to affirm confidence in Senator Schumer’s leadership and growing calls for a progressive challenger in future Senate races. Meanwhile, Republicans have seized the opportunity to advance President Trump’s legislative priorities, showcasing a stark contrast in party cohesion.

“We are frustrated, we are finding our footing, we’re figuring out the best way to fight back,” Pearson said.

She said there is a lot of preparation for the 2028 election cycle within the Democratic Party. There is a midterm election in 2026, there are many gubernatorial seats open for the Democratic Party and there are governors around the country looking for a presidential spot in 2028.

“In Arizona in particular, we have to address the duplicity and the complicated issues we’re facing. You can have border security and still be humane to immigrants, you can have low taxes and still have a well-funded public education system and I think that’s where the Democrats are going to succeed,” Pearson said.

Another issue for the Democratic Party during the 2024 election, according to Pearson, was the dismissal of the positives for the American people during the last presidential election with the pandemic. She listed how Americans were saving money on gas, not paying for childcare, and some people were able to keep money in their checking accounts between paydays.

“It’s not that we just lost the forest for the trees, we lost the forest for blades of grass, and I thought that was a really good synopsis of where we were. We weren’t clear on the economy, we weren’t clear on how we were going to get out of this mess,” Pearson said.