Senator Says Democrats Need Better Message Than Opposition to Trump

A Democratic senator from Pennsylvania said Democrats must offer voters more than opposition to President Donald Trump. The senator told Bill Maher in an interview that aired Friday that some Democratic candidates for the Senate and House are running campaigns focused on opposition to Trump.

The senator said some candidates are "literally running on ‘f* Trump,'" and have campaign commercials built around that message. "We have to find a better way forward," the senator said in the appearance on Real Time with Bill Maher. The comments come after the senator published an opinion piece addressing speculation that he might leave the Democratic Party.

The senator repeated a line from the piece that he would be a poor fit as a Republican while stating he believed the party would remain open to differing views. "I thought we were supposed to be a big tent party," the senator said. " The senator described feeling "increasingly lonely" within the Democratic caucus.

He pointed to disagreements over Israel, immigration, and government shutdown fights. The senator criticized the party's leftward shift. " The senator specifically cited the mayor of New York City and a Democratic Senate candidate in Maine as examples of ideas once considered politically toxic becoming normalized.

"I’ve spoke to people that had to live under socialism and or communism, and they are like they are morons if they think that socialism is the answer," the senator said.

The interview follows growing differences between the senator and progressive members of the Democratic Party. The senator has clashed with them on issues including the Iran war, border security and government shutdown fights. The senator said he remains a Democrat. He noted that he had expected the party coalition to accommodate ideological differences.