Barack Obama gives crucial advice to Democrats after their 2025 election victories
In a brief appearance Thursday at a live taping of “Pod Save America” in Washington, D.C., former President Barack Obama said Democrats had a “good Tuesday,” citing the party’s strong performance in the 2025 elections, but warned they still have “a lot of work to do” to reverse the GOP’s gains.
“It was good to see progressives come off the mat,” Obama said. “It was a good reminder that it turns out the American people are paying attention.”
“And what this election also taught us is that, first of all, if you have candidates of integrity who believe in something and are in it for the right reasons, they can win. And what we also learned is that when young people are engaged and involved, then we win,” Obama continued.
But the former president warned that while the party posted strong results, indicating that Democrats are in a strong position to win a majority in the House of Representatives in 2026, “we have a lot of work to do,” urging avoidance of internal tensions as the party looks forward to the 2026 midterm elections and the 2028 presidential race.
“Your task will be not to impose litmus tests,” he told the audience. “We had the victory of Abigail Spanberger [Virginia’s gubernatorial contest]and handed the victory to Zohan Momdani [New York City’s mayoral race]and they are all part of a vision for the future. Our job is to say that we want everyone to participate and we want to have a conversation about how to make sure that every person in this country is treated with dignity and respect.”
Democrats will have to show that they recognize that “we have differences, and yes, there are fights that will have to be fought, but that deep down there is something central to us that we have in common that is extraordinary and that America, at its best, leans toward this notion of ‘E Pluribus Unum,’ that out of many one can emerge,” Obama said. “That’s the conversation you need to have.”
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Obama kicked off the campaign trail for Spanberger and now-New Jersey Governor-elect Mikie Sherrill in the final stretch of their races, while he also reportedly spoke with Mamdani and called their campaign “impressive to watch,” according to The New York Times. He also starred in an ad promoting Proposition 50 in California, a ballot initiative overwhelmingly approved by voters, allowing the state legislature to redraw the state’s congressional districts before the 2026 elections.