BOSTON — U.S. Rep. Seth Moulton said Democrats need to rebrand their message to focus on the economy, immigration reform and other issues that matter to voters, if they hope to regain control of Congress in next year’s midterm elections.
Speaking to a gathering of business leaders Monday at the New England Council’s “Capitol Hill Report,” the Salem Democrat said the party’s brand is damaged and needs to be rebuilt if it hopes to win control of Congress to push back against President Donald Trump’s second-term actions.
“Much of the last election wasn’t just about an embrace of Trump, but a feeling that we need change and the Democrats are not delivering on it,” Moulton said in remarks at the Hampshire House in Boston. “I think Democrats need to show how to lead on the economy, military preparedness, and other issues — not just oppose Trump.”
Since Vice President Kamala Harris lost last year’s election to Trump, Democrats have struggled to find a cohesive message to counter the president’s divisive policies, with congressional lawmakers at the both ends of the political spectrum arguing the party should be moving in different directions.
Recent polling suggests the left-wing of the party want it to stake out more progressive stances and aggressively push back against Trump’s policies on trade and immigration, while moderates and Democratic-leaning independents argue that the party needs to focus on a centrist agenda.
Moulton said it is important for Democrats to do some soul-searching ahead of the next election and to “ask what went wrong, so we can look ourselves in the mirror and make a course correction.” He said a lot of Americans believe that Democrats are “out of touch” with the major issues.
Meanwhile, recent polls show Americans are “losing faith” in the federal government to fix the problems that are driving voters on either side of the political aisle further apart, he said.
“Politically, America is a very divided country right now. Nearly half of Americans think that members of the opposing party are downright evil,” he said. “But despite the polarization and acrimony, we still need our government, and we have to make it better.”
He said a key issue for Democrats should be the economy, with rising concerns about the fiscal impact of Trump’s tariffs and his nearly $4 trillion “big, beautiful bill” on the national deficit on the minds of voters ahead of next year’s election.
“Democrats should be leading on the economy, not just opposing Trump,” Moulton said. “I think we have a strong argument to make that Democrats are the party of fiscal responsibility … the party of economic growth … and that Democrats are the party of really wanting to make American thrive.”
Moulton was first elected to Congress in 2014, after ousting veteran Democratic Rep. John Tierney in Massachusetts’ 6th District, comprosing three dozen communities north of Boston including Salem, Gloucester and Rockport. He won a fifth term in the November 2024 election.
The former Marine captain, who served four combat tours of duty in Iraq, pushed to create the 988 National Suicide lifeline and has sought federal funding to create high-speed rail service and health care for veterans. He serves on the House’s Armed Services, Transportation and Infrastructure committees.
Christian M. Wade covers the Massachusetts Statehouse for North of Boston Media Group’s newspapers and websites. Email him at cwade@cnhinews.com.