Former President Barack Obama urged Democrats at a Los Angeles fundraiser to prioritize winning back the House next year and to temper internal tactical disputes. He called a House majority a "circuit breaker" to block harmful White House policies and urged the party to refine its long-term messaging to reconnect voters. House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries echoed the priority, and their discussion also covered redistricting and affordability concerns amid worrisome economic polls.
Obama Urges Democrats to Prioritize Winning the House and Rebuild Their Message
Former President Barack Obama urged Democrats to "meet the moment" at a Los Angeles fundraiser on Sunday, appearing alongside House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries.
"The short-term strategy is, win the House of Representatives," Obama said to applause, calling control of the lower chamber a practical "circuit breaker" that would let Democrats block what he described as some of the "worst impulses" coming from the White House.
Obama outlined a two-part approach: reclaim a House majority next year and spend the subsequent years refining the party's message to reconnect voters who feel excluded from the political process. "Long term, let's tell a story, a better story about who we are as Americans and what we share," he said, according to excerpts shared with CBS News.
Unity was a central theme of his remarks. Obama argued that, despite tactical disagreements, Democrats share core goals on economic security. "The truth is that AOC and Chuck Schumer and Bernie Sanders and Blue Dog, they actually agree in making sure that people have a living wage, they can support a family," he said. "Of course there are going to be some tactical differences, but that shouldn't be our primary concern because we're fighting a bigger fight."
The conversation with Leader Jeffries — whom Obama referred to as the "soon-to-be Speaker" — took place at an event hosted by the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee (DCCC), the House Democrats' fundraising arm. Jeffries told CBS News: "The most important thing that we need to do is to win back control of the House of Representatives, as President Obama indicated, as part of the path to ending this national nightmare in the United States of America and moving toward a more perfect union."
They also discussed redistricting efforts nationwide and the affordability crisis affecting many voters. "If we bring energy and clarity and commitment to talking about things like affordability and making sure people have health care when they need it," Obama said, "and that they have the ability, if they work hard, to be able to support a family and create a better future for their children and their grandchildren, … it resonates with people, and we have to have confidence in that."
Polling indicates economic concerns are already front and center: a late-November CBS News poll found only 32% of respondents described the economy as "good," nearly two-thirds said prices are rising, and 77% said President Trump is not spending enough time on the economy and inflation.
President Trump recently traveled to Pennsylvania to promote his economic agenda and a GOP tax cut bill passed earlier this year. In a Wall Street Journal interview, he declined to guarantee that current policies would boost Republicans' prospects next fall, saying, "I can't tell you. I don't know when all of this money is going to kick in," and adding, "We'll see what happens. We should win. But, you know, statistically, it's very tough to win. Yeah, it doesn't make sense."
Obama described Trump's rise as a "wake-up call" but said he was "not entirely surprised" by Democratic off-year wins. He cited his campaigning this fall for gubernatorial candidates Mikie Sherrill of New Jersey and Abigail Spanberger of Virginia — both of whom he said won by double-digit margins — and said those victories have helped restore optimism within the party. "I think we can all feel a new energy," he said.
