New Dem Members Discuss The American Promise and a Winning Economic Message at the Effective Governing Coalition Conference
ICYMI: This week, New Democrat Coalition members participated in the inaugural Effective Governing Coalition Solutions Conference in Washington, D.C.. The gathering brought together Democratic lawmakers, thought leaders, and journalists to discuss Congressional Democrats’ economic policy, messaging, and strategy to deliver real solutions for hardworking Americans.
Several New Dem Members were featured as speakers and panelists throughout the day to share stories from their districts, their work to lower costs and grow the economy, and how New Dems are leading the way with commonsense policy solutions. The New Dems’ American Promise, unveiled on Tuesday as the New Dems’ flagship governing agenda, was featured prominently throughout the day’s conversations, as was the Coalition’s Affordability Agenda released earlier this year.
“What we heard from the people we represent is that they want not just a message of what we’re against, but a message of what we’re for. Something they can get excited about.” – Rep. Brad Schneider
New Democrat Coalition Chair Brad Schneider (IL-10) kicked off the conference with a speech about how the New Dems are working not just to push back against the Trump Administration, but to put together comprehensive, forward-looking policy plans that show the American people what Democrats will fight for when we take back the majority.
New Dem Whip Marilyn Strickland (WA-10) conveyed the importance of the American Promise agenda as a response to the urgent needs of the American people before introducing Molly Murphy from Impact Research, who presented new polling data on what policy and messaging approaches work best in battleground districts.
New Dem Rep. Greg Landsman (OH-01) introduced a panel including New Dem Vice Chair Nikki Budzinski (IL-13) alongside Jessica Tarlov from Fox News’ “The Five” and the Raging Moderates podcast, and Third Way’s Lanae Erickson to talk through strategies for Democrats to create a winning message on the cost of living.
“We wanted our Coalition to lead on an Affordability Agenda that was ready to provide immediate relief… that could potentially be bipartisan, that was grounded in common sense. What we outline really speaks to the urgency of now and providing relief to families.” – Rep. Nikki Budzinski
During the affordability panel, Rep. Budzinski used the New Dem Affordability Agenda as an example of how Democrats should tackle the cost of living crisis, by putting forward commonsense policies that can quickly and durably lower the cost of things like healthcare, housing, utilities, and groceries to provide relief to hardworking families.
New Dem Vice Chair Salud Carbajal (CA-24) introduced a fireside chat between journalist Molly Ball and Senator Elissa Slotkin – a former New Dem Member during her time in the House – who discussed what she’s learned from conversations with Americans throughout the Midwest, and the need for Democrats to create a proactive agenda to build trust and support across the country.
New Dem Leadership Member Greg Stanton (AZ-04) introduced a panel of lawmakers from battleground districts moderated by Leigh Ann Caldwell of Puck News. New Dem Freshman Leadership Representative Kristen McDonald Rivet (MI-08) and fellow New Dem Reps. Janelle Bynum (OR-05), Emilia Sykes (OH-13), and Gabe Vasquez (NM-02) spoke on the panel about the unique perspectives of battleground lawmakers, what their constituents are most concerned about, how Congress could operate better, and what their experiences can teach the rest of the Democratic party about connecting with everyday Americans.
Rep. McDonald Rivet: “At least in my district, if I run against Donald Trump I will lose. We actually have to run on something that is going to make this very big problem in the country of income inequality better.”
Rep. Bynum: “This is the taxpayer’s dollar. It is not our money, it is their money… We must honor it, we must respect it, we must never waste it… For Democrats, it is really important for us to not be high-minded, but to be very practical when you take someone’s dollar, and treat it with respect.”
Rep. Sykes: “I just make it plain to people…The only reason why you’re seeing these significant [healthcare] cuts is to pay for very rich people to get their second private jet. Meanwhile, your child will not have access to healthcare.”
Rep. Vasquez: “One of the things that New Dems does so well is we put together these policy platforms – on everything from healthcare, to immigration, to the economy and affordability, to the workforce – with real recommendations and in some cases bills to back up those recommendations… it hopefully gives the majority of the Caucus a little bit of a running start in terms of what we can all embrace.”
To read more about the New Dems’ American Promise, click here to read the full document, here for the Executive Summary, and here for a one-pager.
Previous Article