Moulton says Democrats’ approach cost them ‘easy’ presidential election

Rep. Seth Moulton, D-Mass., penned a scathing op-ed about his party Friday, claiming Democrats lost an “easy” presidential election because they failed to address “real issues.”

Moulton has been an outspoken critic of the Democratic Party since Election Day. The congressman first turned heads on Nov. 7 when he suggested to The New York Times that the party needed to change its approach to issues surrounding the transgender community.

“Democrats spend way too much time trying not to offend anyone rather than being brutally honest about the challenges many Americans face,” he told the publication. “I have two little girls, I don’t want them getting run over on a playing field by a male or formerly male athlete, but as a Democrat I’m supposed to be afraid to say that.”

The congressman quickly received backlash for the remarks, with protesters descending on his Salem, Massachusetts, office in a show of support for the LGBT community. However, he has repeatedly doubled down on his criticisms, including in a Friday op-ed for The Washington Post titled “I’m done with Democratic purity tests.”

“Independents and Republicans see what we do to fellow Democrats who disagree with the party line. Why would they think they’d have a prayer with us?” Moulton asked.

He argued that President-elect Donald Trump proved to voters he “understands real fears,” while Democrats have often downplayed or ignored voters’ concerns. He pointed to Trump responding to Americans’ fears about increasing crime with pledges to support law enforcement, whereas members of the Democratic Party called to “defund the police.”

The congressman also noted Trump made the economy a key element of his campaign. He compared that decision to the Biden administration downplaying rising grocery costs “because it was ‘transitory,’ whatever that means.”

“When Democrats don’t engage honestly on real issues important to Americans, we give the impression that we either don’t understand or, worse yet, simply don’t care,” Moulton wrote.

“This should have been an easy election for Democrats … But the American people voted for Trump because he articulated a vision, however twisted and unconscionable, for solving their problems and addressing their fears,” he concluded.

Moulton has not been alone in criticizing the Democratic Party since Vice President Kamala Harris’s election loss. Sen. Chris Murphy, D-Conn., earlier this month argued Democrats have ignored an “identity crisis” facing American men, contributing to the party’s loss in appeal to such voters.