As Chris Murphy knows, the Democrat Party has never been less popular as voters reject (among other things) its anti-gun agenda.
As Democrats wander around the political wilderness, more and more of them are starting to rethink their support for ideological rigidity; not because they themselves have had a change of heart on any particular issue, but because they realize that the Democrat brand is politically toxic to many Americans.
A former staffer for John Fetterman has launched a left-of-center think tank meant to push Democratic candidates to adopt “the most effective, broadly popular positions regardless of which wing of the party they come from”, and now none other than Connecticut Senator Chris Murphy says maybe the Democrats shouldn’t be so dogmatic on the issue of gun control.
Speaking at an anti-monopoly conference in Washington, D.C. on Monday afternoon, Murphy told the audience that “the fastest-growing share of the electorate are socially and culturally conservative voters who are economically populist.” As he saw it, that would require his party, the Democrats, not only to embrace populist economic positions (he was, after all, speaking to a room full of anti-monopoly nerds) but to make room for candidates who won’t always echo the D.C. Democratic consensus on issues. That was particularly true, he added, on social and cultural topics. And if he was going to demand certain ideological compromises from others, he would have to offer one of his own.
By Cam Edwards
