Can Ben Wikler Rebuild the Democratic Party?

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Bruised and beaten in the 2024 election, Democrats are contending with the loss of the White House, Senate, and House of Representatives, and the fact that millions of Democratic voters simply didn’t vote. A Supreme Court dominated by conservatives completes the Republican stranglehold over a nation that media pundits claim is deeply polarized. 

The liberal party could tack right to try to win over Republican voters—a standard response to its losses in recent years—or it could tack left given how poorly the standard response has worked. 

Internal party elections for the chair of the Democratic National Committee are a bellwether for which direction the supposedly liberal party veers. If progressive Democrats have their way, they’d like to see Wisconsin’s DNC chair, Ben Wikler, work his organizing magic nationally. John Nichols, national affairs correspondent for The Nation, is based in Wisconsin and spoke with YES! Senior Editor Sonali Kolhatkar on YES! Presents: Rising Up With Sonali about Wikler’s potential to lead Democrats back toward victory.