In a quick look Thursday at a dwell taping of “Pod Save America” in Washington, D.C., former President Barack Obama mentioned Democrats had a “good Tuesday,” citing the occasion’s robust efficiency within the 2025 elections, however cautioned they nonetheless have “a lot of work to do” to reverse GOP features.
“It was good to see progressives get off the mat,” Obama mentioned. “It was a good reminder that, it turns out that the American people are paying attention.”
“And what this election also taught us is that it turns out that if, number one, you have candidates with integrity who believe in something and are in it for the right reasons, they can win. And what we also learned is that when young people are engaged and involved, then we win,” Obama continued.
However the former president warned that whereas the occasion delivered stable outcomes, which point out Democrats are in a powerful place to win a Home majority in 2026, “we’ve got a lot of work to do,” urging towards intraparty tensions because the occasion seems to be ahead to the 2026 midterms and the 2028 presidential contest.
“Your task is going to be not to impose litmus tests,” he informed the viewers. “We had Abigail Spanberger win [Virginia’s gubernatorial contest], and we had Zohran Mamdani win [New York City’s mayoral race], and they are all part of a vision for the future. Our job is to say that we want everybody engaged, and we want to have a conversation about how to make sure that every person in this country is treated with dignity and respect.”
Democrats should show they acknowledge “we have differences, and yes, there are fights that are going to have to be fought, but that deep down, there is something core in us that we have in common that is extraordinary and that America at its best leans in to this notion of ‘E Pluribus Unum,’ that out of many can come one,” Obama mentioned. “That’s the conversation that you need to have.”
Kyle Mazza/Anadolu through Getty Photos
Obama hit the marketing campaign path for Spanberger and now-New Jersey Gov.-elect Mikie Sherrill within the last stretch of their races, whereas he additionally reportedly spoke to Mamdani, calling his marketing campaign “impressive to watch,” in line with The New York Occasions. He additionally starred in an advert selling Proposition 50 in California, a poll initiative overwhelmingly authorized by voters, enabling the state legislature to redraw the state’s congressional districts forward of the 2026 elections.
