Rep. Torres spoke to MSNBC’s Ari Melber about how Vice President Kamala Harris and the Democratic Party have lost core voters to President-elect Donald Trump.
Rep. Ritchie Torres, D-N.Y., sounded the alarm that the Republican Party is gaining with the core voters that the Democratic Party has alienated by turning left.
In the wake of Trump’s victory over Vice President Kamala Harris, many Democrats and commentators have been baffled at his gains among different ages, genders and races, particularly those living in the cities, often seen as the base of the party.
MSNBC’s Ari Melber cited a recent piece dubbing this watershed moment “the end of the Obama coalition” and spoke with Torres about how it came to pass.
“The far-left is a gift to Donald Trump, and it is a gift that will keep on giving until there is a serious reckoning with the results of the election and a serious recalibration,” Torres said.
The congressman argued that “when you zoom in,” on the specific demographics that Trump made progress with in this election, “there is cause for concern.”
“Not only did Donald Trump crack the blue wall in the industrial Midwest, but he is beginning to crack the blue wall, the ultimate blue wall, in urban America,” he said. “He came within five points of winning New Jersey. He came within 12 points of winning New York. One-in-3 New Yorkers in New York City voted for Donald Trump. In 2012, Barack Obama won 96% of the vote in the south Bronx. In 2024, in 2024 Donald Trump won nearly 30%, a more than 20 point swing. So, we no longer live in a world where the Latino vote can be taken for granted.”
He also recalled how Trump won 97% Latino Stark County by a strong margin as well, which previously had voted Democratic since the 19th century, “If that is not cause for alarm, I am not sure what would be.”
Melber asked about whether the counter-cultural energy of the Obama coalition has been eclipsed by the Republican Party to a certain degree. Torres responded that, while Democrats are still doing well at the congressional level, Harris made an “unwise” tactical blunder by failing to appeal to the young men who are joining the Republican Party instead.
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“I am concerned that there are increasing numbers of men who are gravitating toward the Republican Party, and we have to outreach to those men. I thought it was unwise for Vice President Harris not to go on Joe Rogan, because he does have a massive following among young men,” he said.
“If we have confidence in our messaging as Democrats, we have to take our messaging everywhere,” Torres continued. “We have to take our message to every corner of the media ecosystem, including alternative media, which has ushered in a brave new world.”
Torres also emphasized, “I feel like as a party, we have to look inward, we have to be careful not to scold, or scapegoat, or shame anyone, you know, condescension is not only bad morals, it is bad politics.”
He went on to cite an anecdote about the Democratic presidential candidate who infamously lost twice in landslides to warn about having contempt for large portions of America.
“There is a story of a fan of Adlai Stevenson who said to Adlai Stevenson, ‘Mr. Stevenson, you’re gonna have the support of every thinking American,’ and he said, ‘Madam, I need a majority of the American people,’” Torres said. “And I feel like that kind of condescension is not only bad morals, it is bad politics. It’s gonna not only lose you goodwill, it’s gonna lose you elections. So, we have to listen, and learn, and be careful never to shame or scapegoat.”
