Real Beats Fake: How Authentic Dems Break Trump’s Spell

Thankfully, many Dems across the country, are no longer listening to the “we can return to pre-Trump times, but a little better” crowd, who have no understanding of the moment, and how it will shape the next century. We’re seeing more of our candidates talk like they’re hanging out on a livestream rather than reading off a prompter. They crash into cameras, riff live on social platforms, and let their personalities bleed through the script.

St. Assemblyman Zohran Mamdani utilized this strategy all the way to his blowout victory to become New York City’s next Mayor. In Virginia, Abigail Spanberger—former CIA officer and three-term Congresswoman--brings the same off-script feel. She talks in plain language to audiences beyond the beltway and deploys digital tools with a genuine voice, not a stiff campaign-video face.

In New Jersey, former Navy officer and federal prosecutor Mikie Sherrill speaks as though she’s seen the world, been in the trenches, calls ‘em like she sees ‘em. Her authenticity is not borne of flashy stunts. But the conviction her story matters, and how she tells it in real-time, including social-media moments, underscore who she really is, what values drive her.

We have a whole crop more of these candidates running statewide next year. It's pretty exciting. Read about the rest of them at the Substack. And don't forget to watch the video!

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