A panel of Democrats on Friday said the party must change its strategy to re-engage Black, Asian and Hispanic voters amid a rise in conservatism in minority groups, which helped propel President Donald Trump to victory in November.
The workshop in Albany was one of the first events of the 54th annual conference weekend for members of the Black, Puerto Rican, Hispanic and Asian Legislative Caucus.
"These trends didn't happen overnight — they didn't happen on Election Day of last year," said Assemblywoman Grace Lee, a Democrat from Manhattan.
The caucus' annual conference shines a light on legislative priorities for minority communities across the state, but also gives top Democrats opportunity to strategize.
The party's share of the Black and Latino vote dropped significantly for President Kamala Harris in the last election compared to support for Joe Biden in 2020 — even as President Trump dismantles programs that promote diversity.
Panelists explored why the Democratic Party missed the mark with voters on messaging about the economy, immigration and how to persuade voters of color to back Democratic candidates.
"Many people don't realize that a lot of Chinese New Yorkers are getting their news from Chinese media," Lee said. "When we do great things like passing Lunar New Year as a statewide school holiday, we need to make sure that we're communicating that. That the Democrats are the ones who are fighting for Asian communities, for Latino communities, for Black communities."
Lee said the party has taken minority voters for granted and must simplify its messaging to reach them.
"It's really important that when we are championing issues that are important to communities of color that we are also making sure that it's reaching them and reaching their media," she said.
And the work begins now ahead of next year's national midterms and state gubernatorial race — especially as Republicans eye a path to the governorship after six points separated Gov. Kathy Hochul and former Rep. Lee Zeldin in 2022.
"I don't think it's policy-driven," said André Richardson, the founder of Paragon Strategies. "I think it was personality-driven and there's an anti-incumbent sentiment in New York and in the country right now."
Richardson, who's advised U.S. House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries' campaign, said the spread of misinformation on social media has overpowered the party's efforts to fight for the middle class. And it's particularly a problem for young voters ages 18-24.
"Their life has been riddled with a lot of chaos, so when they see chaotic figures such as the current president, this is very normal for them," he said.
And with a potentially competitive gubernatorial race in 2026, Democrats say Hochul's focus on affordability this budget cycle is spot on, but time will tell if it's enough to turn the tide.
"The Republican Party and particularly the Trump administration has really taken a concerted effort to pit us against each other," said Lupe Todd-Medina, president of Effective Media Strategies. "We need to come together. We need to have a moment where we come together because by ourselves, singularly, we're a finger, but together we're a fist."