WASHINGTON, D.C. - Since Republicans won control of the House, Senate and White House in last month's elections, Democrats in Congress have embarked on a series of public and private debates over what went wrong for their party.
The election result was hardly a blowout, with President-elect Donald Trump winning 49.9% of votes and Democratic wins in the House leaving the GOP with a mere five-seat majority in that chamber. But the reality of a Trump victory - aided by significant gains among working-class voters of all races - has Washington's congressional delegation focused on returning to what they see as the party's roots.
"I think the most important thing to do right now is to take a pause and listen," said Sen. Patty Murray, cautioning her fellow Democrats against letting the election outcome reinforce their existing ideas.
"I think that there are people rightfully frustrated about where we are right now - with our economy, with all the global things that are happening - and they only had one way to make their voices heard," she said in her Capitol office. "So we have to understand that frustration, deal with it the best we can, but not lose what our basic values are."
Other members of the delegation want to do more than listen. In a brief interview at the Capitol on Nov. 14, Rep. Adam Smith of Bellevue blamed his party's losses on "the undue influence of extreme elements that are occasionally part of our coalition."
"The radical left has come to have veto power over far too many things that your average Democratic candidate does, so that our brand is poisoned," said Smith, adding that Democratic presidential candidate Kamala Harris "tried to duck and hide" rather than explicitly repudiating what he called "radical identity politics" and calls to defund the police or abolish Immigration and Customs Enforcement.
Murray said she understands Smith's point but emphasized that both parties are subject to forces pulling them toward more extreme positions.
"The question isn't just, 'What do Democrats do?' " Murray said. "It really is, 'What do we do as a country to make sure that we aren't just absolutely catering to the person that's screaming the loudest in the room?'"
Smith has been targeted at home by protesters calling for a cease-fire in Gaza and an end to U.S. military aid to Israel. He stated that by taking positions such as being open to decriminalizing crossing borders illegally - Harris and other candidates alienated much of America.
"I'm a progressive," Smith said. "If I may be blunt, I think communists are problematic... If you're in favor of abolishing criminal justice systems... We need reclaiming labels."
Rep Pramila Jayapal disagrees with Smith’s critique:
"We talked down voters who no longer feel connected... They're always told they're far left or crazy… That growing coalition mustn't be ignored."
Jayapal believes traditional bases feel rigged systems push them towards Trump:
"Core issue: anger justified because wealthiest grow richer while wages stagnate; differences between parties affecting workers seem negligible."
Rep Marilyn Strickland questions if elections focus solely on issues:
I ask myself sometimes...