Democrats Seek Balance Between Base's Demands, Election Wins
Pennsylvania's Conor Lamb and Alabama Sen. Doug Jones, the new miracle men of the Democratic Party, offer a clear model for how to run in Republican territory: Focus on economics, not guns, immigration or President Donald Trump.
But that won't be easy when much of the party is whipped into a fervor over those topics.
As the party barrels into primary season, its biggest success stories star Democratic moderates who have run strong in Trump country. But much of the energy in the party is on the left, where an active base is calling for single-payer health care, a $15-an-hour minimum wage and bans on certain weapons and ammunition. Finding the balance between the base's demands and winning general elections is Democrats' new mission as they look toward the November midterms.