On the campaign trail, Democratic candidates have largely kept a consistent message, hounding Republicans on high prices and a range of economic strains on working people.
Not straying from the issue of affordability is a strategy that many in the party believe is the best way for Democrats to regain power in Congress.
Part of the reason this is tricky for the party is that the democracy issue has been ill-defined, said Nathan Johnson, a Democrat running for Texas attorney general.
He said for years now, Democrats have been focused on aspects of democracy such as voter suppression, which he said “absolutely has happened.”
“But it also has not happened at levels that really command the public attention,” Johnson argued. “So as a standalone issue, just talking about preserving our democracy is not overriding the price of a box of cereal at the grocery store or the perception that we’re all being manipulated by large, powerful corporations.”
Johnson says telling voters that they should care about democratic institutions because it ultimately affects prices could be a way of talking about democracy and the economy at the same time.
Read the full article here: https://www.npr.org/2026/07/28/nx-s1-5903108/democrats-are-focused-on-affordability-some-say-they-should-focus-on-democracy-too