Democrats search for an entry point into populism

Some Democrats have tried supplanting their identity-based worldview with class-based rhetoric.

Others have advocated dropping positions that are unpopular outside of coastal liberal circles, such as allowing biological boys to compete in girls sports.

Democrats are going through an ideological identity struggle that can't be reconciled, former White House press secretary for President George W. Bush said.

Democrats may sense a chance to capitalize on those fault lines by paying more attention to the class dynamics splitting the electorate.

But the realities of who the Democratic Party has catered to in recent years could make the shift to class warfare tactics difficult for Democrats .

Some Democrats have attributed their drift away from working-class voters to the party’s embrace of liberal social issues.

Democrats ’ inability to settle on a path forward has left the party’s stars moving in different directions.

The focus by Van Hollen and other Democrats on lax immigration enforcement could undermine efforts to refocus Democratic messaging away from framing top issues in ways that feel out of step with working-class voters.