Former Dem Candidate Tells WSJ That ‘Twenty Big Cities, Aspen and Martha’s Vineyard’ Are All That’s Left of Democratic Party

AP Photo/Charles Dharapak

Adam Frisch, a Colorado Democrat who lost his House race in November to now-Rep. Jeff Hurd (R-CO), told The Wall Street Journal over the weekend his party is in disarray after their major 2024 election losses.

The former city councilor for the resort city of Aspen categorized the party’s influence as mattering in just 20 of America’s big cities and two far-left enclaves – one in Aspen and the other off the Massachusetts coast.

The Journal‘s Molly Ball was in Maryland Saturday as Democrats selected new leaders – chair Ken Martin and vice chair David Hogg. She spoke to Frisch and assessed the state of the party’s brand as “in the toilet.”

“The Democratic brand is in the toilet, with a recent Wall Street Journal poll showing 60% of Americans view the party unfavorably while only 36% see it favorably,” Ball wrote. “Democrats lost ground with nearly every demographic group last November, including minorities, women, low-income voters and those without college degrees.”

Asked for comment, Frisch replied, “Twenty big cities, Aspen and Martha’s Vineyard — that’s what’s left of the Democratic Party.”

He added, “And I’m not exactly sure those 20 big cities are getting the best version of the Democratic Party.”

Frisch failed to flip Rep. Lauren Boebert’s (R-CO) seat last fall after she changed districts following the retirement of former GOP congressman Ken Buck.

He is not alone in expressing pessimism about a party that just a few weeks ago held the White House and the Senate, and was a handful of seats away from a House majority.

The New York Times wrote Sunday after Martin was elected DNC chair:

The tepid race for D.N.C. chair illustrated the lack of a broad party message that goes beyond attacking Mr. Trump to offer a new vision.

As party members gathered in Washington this weekend, they heard from candidates for chair who offered largely tactical solutions and fiery attacks on Mr. Trump that echoed the party’s message eight years ago. The eventual winner, Mr. Martin, offered a diagnosis that was all about how the party communicated, rather than what it was saying

The paper also quoted Rep. Jasmine Crockett (D-TX), who said of the state of her party, “We have no coherent message.”