Democrats are having a huge branding problem, with many voters questioning if the party still shares the same values on topics like patriotism, according to Third Way. This could end up affecting the right, as many political figures on the left steal the ideas of patriotism and freedom to sprinkle them into their speeches to win back voters. Two big players in this situation are Democratic governors-elect Wes Moore of Maryland and Josh Shapiro of Pennsylvania. Both of whom have made this freedom heavy messaging central to their campaigns.

Democrats, such as Moore and Shapiro, have talked about sweeping policy agendas such as healthcare, education, and jobs, through the lens of freedom. Moore used the word “patriot” or “patriotism” seven times in a speech while Shapiro used the would “freedom” 14 times in the first five minutes of opening remarks of a speech he gave.

AXIOS reports that mainstream Democrats prevailed in November, while far-left candidates underperformed. Something that the party should remember when going against Trump-aligned Republicans in 2024. Though this sort of backward attempt of using key Republican wording for their benefit might backfire as the Democratic party seems to be feeling less patriotic, according to a recent Gallup poll. Linking back to many key issues being thrown to Republicans. As voters decided Democrats were failing the county and dropping the ball on many top issues like the economy and inflation.

While Democrats may use this idea of framing their woke agenda as patriotic, it will be hard to get votes for their issues if they continue to do the job their doing.