Rahm Emanuel helped build the modern Democratic Party. Now he's making the case that it isn't working.
In recent months, as he tests the waters for a 2028 presidential bid, the onetime chief of staff to former President Obama has emerged as one of the party's most pointed internal critics -- warning that Democrats are losing their bearings on issues ranging from economic messaging to cultural positioning.
Democrats "lost the plot," Emanuel said last month on the podcast "The Fifth Column," adding that the party "got unanchored."
"Every one of our most successful electoral presidents anchored themselves in what I call middle class values and values that are universal, at least in this country, ascribed to. We went from acceptance to advocacy," said Emanuel, a former Chicago mayor who has at times tangled with progressives in the party.
"Big difference," added Emanuel, who most recently served as former President Biden's ambassador to Japan.
Emanuel's remarks are getting outsized attention, in part because they come in a midterm election year from the architect of his party's successful effort to retake the House in 2006.
At the time, Emanuel recruited a number of centrist candidates to win races in purple districts, including Heath Shuler, the former NFL quarterback who won a seat in North Carolina. Much of Emanuel's message that year involved middle-class economic issues at a time when the Iraq War was the big focus.
Twenty years later, another war in the Middle East has Democrats arguing a GOP president has taken his eyes off the middle-class economic issues that drive voters to the polls, giving their party a big opportunity.
Emanuel is also widely seen as a presidential hopeful, and he's been making the rounds recently, including at Politics and Eggs, a must-stop at Saint Anselm's College's New Hampshire Institute for Politics. He also made more than a dozen stops in South Carolina last week, where allies claim he was met with a positive response. He's headed to Nevada this week.
As part of his recent tour, he has also sat down for interviews, where he has offered advice for Democrats struggling to connect with voters.
In an interview with Fox News Digital in late March, he urged Democrats to "centralize and ground ourselves in middle class values" and to "get to the core" of what voters want.
"Don't get caught up in some cultural cul-de-sac that leads to nowhere," he said
In the interview on "The Fifth Column," he also urged Democrats to take a different approach to the culture wars.
"We as Democrats nationally, from Latinx to defunding the police, to 'police organizations are all racist,' to bringing a set of culture wars to our schools," he said. "We are on the losing side of those culture wars, full stop."
There are a number of skeptics in the Democratic Party who do not see Emanuel as a credible contender in 2028.
"It's a campaign and a movement that exists for people in the Acela corridor green rooms," said Democratic strategist Eddie Vale, who also suggested that if Emanuel is running as a party outsider, it's an odd spot for a former Democratic congressman, White House chief of staff and ambassador to Japan.
Emanuel "offering an outsider's critique of the party reminds me of when [former House Speaker] Paul Ryan said he loved listening to Rage Against the Machine," Vale said.
Others say Emanuel is the kind of candidate who could win. They say he's well-connected inside and outside the party apparatus and could fundraise better than most candidates because of his large network.
He's also "real for a politician," said one strategist, who pointed to his well-known use of the f-bomb in casual conversation. Emanuel is well-versed on the internal workings of national campaigns and the federal government, and he isn't afraid of the vast media landscape, this strategist said.
Another source in Emanuel's orbit said he is aware of the perception that he is part of the old guard of the party and the need for "generational change."
But those who have heard him on the road have responded to his "straightforward approach," the source said,and not just on President Trump and the resistance but his ideas on the future.
"He's focused on what comes next,"
And while Emanuel is very much the image of the Democratic establishment, some say he's not like the rest of the party's candidates.
"In this political environment, people are looking for someone different,"
said former Rep. Steve Israel, (D-N.Y.), who served with Emanuel in the House. “Rahm is connecting by demonstrating an ability to merge sharp political acumen with policy innovation.”
Israel said that while there's a long way to go before the primaries, Emanuel is “getting impressive early attention, which is something to build on.”
Much of Emanuel's criticisms of his party seem to be pointed toward the progressive wing.
Yet much has changed in the last 20 years, and it's unclear whether Emanuel would be in step with the majority of Democrats on various issues.
For example, the party has clearly been moving away from the government of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, and polls show younger Democrats in particular are increasingly critical of U.S. support for Israel in the Middle East.
While Emanuel is a frequent critic of Netanyahu, he remains firmly aligned with a more traditional Democratic approach to the U.S.-Israel relationship.
The tension could also extend beyond foreign policy. On health care, Emanuel has long been associated with a more incremental approach, even as parts of the electorate have pushed for more expansive reforms.
"His problem is the Democratic socialists who will not like what he says and will not be enthusiastic,"
said John Morgan, the Democratic Party megadonor. “A large part of the Democratic base is now socialist.”
Morgan -- who said he loves Emanuel -- said the former congressman and ambassador will also have problems because some Democrats didn't approve of Emanuel's time as Chicago mayor.
“But for me when he speaks, I want to stand up and scream HELL YES,”
Morgansaid in a text message. “I just know if guys like me and Rahm have a place at that table. Rahm dishes out some strong medicine. But he is correct.”
Democratic strategist Basil Smikle said Emanuel “brings the benefit of experience and a clear understanding of the party’s past strengths and weaknesses, having spent years working within key institutions."
"However, for a younger generation of voters and activists, that history alone is not enough,"
Smikle said. "He must demonstrate that his record is not a constraint on change but a foundation for a new era of representation."