Electing the youngest state representative in Georgia, gaining 13 points in a Trump stronghold in Tennessee, and ending a decades-old Republican winning streak in Miami are just some of the things Democrats have pulled off over the past month.
Since the 2024 election, Democrats have struggled to unite behind a message. When progressives called for bolder policies and younger candidates, establishment Democrats were reluctant to overhaul the party apparatus.
In February, gun control activist David Hogg was elected vice chair of the Democratic National Committee, advocating for aggression in combating the Trump administration. He wanted to issue primary challenges–through his organisation, Leaders We Deserve–to Democrats that weren’t doing enough, replacing them with younger, more progressive candidates. Backlash ensued, and in June, he left.
Yet growing disillusionment over high prices may have given the party a chance to claw its way back from the political wilderness it has found itself in for months. One word has proven particularly effective with the electorate: affordability.
“I think from the center all the way to the far left, we have seen candidates who centered affordability win, just like Trump succeeded by laser focusing on grocery prices in 2024,” said Democratic commentator Kaivan Shroff.
Despite some of Leaders We Deserve’s first endorsements struggling in their primaries, endorsements running in the Nov. 4 election were successful. Zohran Mamdani won the New York City mayoral election, solidifying the upset he had pulled off in the Democratic primary. Meanwhile, Akbar Ali, Georgia House District 106, and Christian Menefee, Texas’ 18th District, both advanced to a runoff.
Who is Akbar Ali?
Ali’s win on Dec. 2 will make him the youngest member of Georgia’s legislature at 21 years old. Having grown up in Gwinnett County, Ali helped recharter the Gwinnett County Young Democrats at 18. He then ran for, and won, the vice chair position for the Gwinnett Democratic Party.
As the son of Pakistani immigrants, it was his family’s own realization of the American dream that drove him to represent his district.
“I feel that that ladder that allowed me and my family to go from only having white rice to eat every night at one point in our lives to now being able to own our own house, be in a good area with good schools that has situated me to become a representative at age 21–that ladder is eroding,” Ali told Trill Mag.
How did a 21-year-old become the youngest politician in Georgia?
Throughout the campaign, Ali prioritized constant community engagement, activating voters and working to build a strong coalition. Although he received fewer votes than his opponent, Marquis Cole, in November, Ali carried on business as usual. He believed he had built a more engaged coalition—one that would turn out for a second time.
“In round two, with the runoff, I mean, you clearly saw that my impression on the community and my support within the community was a lot stronger,” said Ali.
And it was stronger. Ali won with 54% of the vote.
“He is up all hours of the night, like every day, knocking doors, doing everything that he could to get across that finish line and to be of service to his community,” said Matilda Bress, the communications director at Leaders We Deserve.
The campaign stayed in perpetual motion, something Ali is no stranger to. During his run for the Gwinnett Democrats’ vice chair position, he campaigned from the Space Mountain line at Disney World, switching between playing games with his younger brothers and phoning for endorsements.
In this campaign, Ali wanted to talk to everyone. “Day one of the campaign, we went to every single minority business, with several translators, places that have not been touched by any political apparatus in 10 years,” Ali said.
Shroff thinks similarly, citing disappointment with influencer candidates who are popular online but have little experience in their communities.
“Elections need to be hyperlocal and well organized on the ground before we talk about digital and national media,” Shroff said.
Of course, Ali also focused extensively on affordability. Ali has cited rising housing costs in his county. According to Zillow estimates, in 2025, the average price of a house in Gwinnett County is around $400,000. In 2020, it was closer to $250,000. Many blame investors for driving up housing costs. However, a number of factors contribute to high prices, including rising mortgage rates. Nationwide, the percentage of single-family homes bought by outside investors continues to reach new highs, according to reporting from Moneywise. Earlier this year, Georgia lawmakers passed a bill forcing out-of-state investors to hire Georgia brokers. Though Ali values the progress, he wants to take it further.
A progressive candidate in a progressive district
In a district Kamala Harris carried by 16 points, Ali embraced social issues. His campaign website directly calls out the Trump administration and Georgia republicans for pushing “dangerous, undemocratic laws that target people based on their identity, religion, perceived immigration status, and country of origin.” The website further commits to defending the rights of Georgians by “protecting our Black, Latino, Asian, immigrant, and LGBTQ+ neighbors.”
States have filed numerous lawsuits against the Department of Homeland Security, disputing the legality of certain tactics used by Immigration and Customs Enforcement. Many have questioned the ability of ICE agents to stop an individual solely on the basis of race. In September, the Supreme Court overturned a temporary prohibition placed by a federal judge, allowing ICE agents to question people based on factors such as race, ethnicity or accent.
Despite mentioning the Trump administration a few times, Ali’s campaign did not do so in abundance. Ali said his campaign was about delivering on community issues.
“I very much disagree with President Trump on a wide variety of things. Again, I’m not being sent to D.C. I’m being sent to the state capital to advocate for neighborhood issues,” Ali said.
Where does the party see itself going?
Mamdani’s victory over establishment Democrats has served as a battle cry for further left policies and candidates. Excitement for other progressive primary candidates like James Talarico, who is running for Senate in Texas, and Graham Platner, a Leaders We Deserve endorsee who is running for Senate in Maine, has left many hopeful that progressives will continue to make gains. Both candidates are running on economically populist platforms, placing heavy scrutiny on billionaires and affordability.
Though progressives have had wins, moderates have had no shortage of success. Despite Aftyn Behn’s surprising performance in the Tennessee 7th District special election–closing a gap in a district Trump won by 22 points to nine points–many moderates saw a missed opportunity.
“I think we probably could have done even better with one of the more centrist candidates, considering how conservative Tennessee is,” said Democratic commentator and pollster Jessica Tarlov on the Raging Moderates podcast.
Nov. 4 was also a good day for moderates. Mikie Sherrill of New Jersey and Abigail Spanberger of Virginia both won gubernatorial races. Since then, other Democrats have flipped seats in local elections. Eileen Higgins ended a 28-year drought for Democrats when she beat Trump-backed Emilio Gonzalez in the race for Miami mayor.
A week after Ali’s win, Democrat Eric Gisler flipped Georgia’s 121st House District in a special election. Gisler centered his platform around affordability. In a district that voted for Trump in 2024 by 13 points, Gisler didn’t offer bold stances on social issues. While issues of affordability and health care received their own sections on Gisler’s campaign website, gun reform, abortion, and gender-affirming care were given a much more modest platform, all sitting under one title: Personal Freedoms.
All of the candidates had one message in common: affordability.
Ali acknowledged the party’s changes throughout the country, differentiating between Democratic messages in Kansas and Democratic messages in California.
“I would like to see the party where it just goes back to being laser-focused on one’s jurisdiction and the area they represent,” said Ali.
Affordability as a unifying issue
Shroff does not see affordability as a magic word that can solve the Democrats’ problems. For him, the future is more promising if centrists pave the way, but ultimately, there is one important target.
“Democrats need to keep focused on the ultimate goal—delivering as huge a margin as possible in 2026,” said Shroff.
Naturally, most democrats agree with this, even if they don’t agree on how to get there.
“We want to take back the house. As it is, it is good for progressives if we take back the House. It is good for moderates if we take back the House,” said Bress.
With such varying forms of success, the party may not agree on a specific direction, but rather focus on running candidates that fit where they run—and, more importantly, win.
