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Democrats attempt rebranding with populist new agenda

In this July 20, 2017 photo, House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., flanked by, Rep. Frank Pallone, D-N.J., the ranking member of the House Energy and Commerce Committee, left, and Rep. Bobby Scott, D-Va., the ranking member on the House Committee on Education and the Workforce, discusses the Republican efforts to replace "Obamacare," during a news conference on Capitol Hill in Washington. Democrats are trying to bounce back from their November election losses and rebrand themselves, rolling out a populist new agenda under the slogan “A Better Deal.” (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)
In this July 20, 2017 photo, House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., flanked by, Rep. Frank Pallone, D-N.J., the ranking member of the House Energy and Commerce Committee, left, and Rep. Bobby Scott, D-Va., the ranking member on the House Committee on Education and the Workforce, discusses the Republican efforts to replace "Obamacare," during a news conference on Capitol Hill in Washington. Democrats are trying to bounce back from their November election losses and rebrand themselves, rolling out a populist new agenda under the slogan “A Better Deal.” (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)

By Associated Press 3 min read

WASHINGTON (AP) – Democratic leaders believe they lost to President Donald Trump partly because voters don’t know what the party stands for. So they’re trying to rebrand themselves with a new slogan and a populist new agenda as they look ahead to the 2018 midterms.

It’s called “A Better Deal” and House and Senate Democratic leaders are rolling it out Monday afternoon in Berryville, Virginia. They’re intentionally traveling outside the Beltway, and into the district of one of the GOP House members they hope to defeat next year, Barbara Comstock.

Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer of New York, House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi of California, along with other top House and Senate Democrats, are making the presentation after months of internal debate and analysis of polling and focus groups.

Democrats think of themselves as the party of working people and were surprised when Trump was able to steal working-class voters from them. They subsequently figured out that voters don’t know what the party stands for, and the new effort is aimed at changing that.

Schumer acknowledged on Sunday that Democrats were partially to blame for the American people not knowing what the party stands for.