Newsweek: NY Democrat Calls Out Party’s Anti-Trump Focus Ahead of Midterms
Mandy Taheri for Newsweek - January 19, 2026
New York Democrat Jami Floyd, one of several candidates vying to succeed longtime Representative Jerry Nadler in a crowded New York City district race, told Newsweek her party can’t rely on opposition to President Donald Trump as its message—calling it “not a platform or a plan” and warning it won’t produce a “blue wave” in November.
Why It Matters
New York’s 12th Congressional District has been shaped for decades by the long career of Nadler, a seasoned legislator first elected to the U.S. House in 1992 after 16 years in the New York State Assembly.
Floyd is among several Democratic candidates in the race, including co-founder of the anti-Trump Lincoln Project, George Conway, President John F. Kennedy's grandson, Jack Schlossberg, and state Assembly members Alex Bores and Micah Lasher.
The 2026 midterms give Democrats a chance to claw back seats two years after Trump returned to the White House, winning the Electoral College and the national popular vote. Republicans also took control of the Senate and held a narrow House majority, prompting Democrats to debate what went wrong in 2024 and how to reset their message and leadership. Floyd’s critique comes as many Democrats continue to campaign with Trump opposition at the center of their pitch.
What To Know
Floyd described herself to Newsweek as a “scrappy ghetto kid with sharp elbows” and a “tough fighter" and New Yorker, arguing "that's what we need right now in the Democratic Party." The attorney and former journalist pushed back against career politicians, adding, “we do not need technocrats,” and Democratic candidates who shape their platform solely as an opposition to Trump.
“Everybody’s gonna say they’re gonna fight MAGA [Make America Great Again], but we need to fight for the people of this district,” she told Newsweek in a Zoom interview in mid-January. The New York native said the country is “teetering on the brink of losing our democracy” arguing that every seat in Congress matters.
However, she said she is not sure a “blue wave” will materialize in November. While the party in the White House typically loses seats during midterm elections, the map for Democrats is still challenging, although on Wednesday, the Cook Political Report shifted the outlook for 18 House races in Democrats’ favor, citing patterns seen in polling and recent election results.
Floyd said her doubts about Democrats gaining majority control in Congress this November are fueled in part by frustration with fellow Democrats, noting that when she presses friends and colleagues in office for their platform, she often hears little beyond opposition to Trump.
“What's the plan? What's the platform? How is this blue wave coming?” she said. “The answer I get is, well, inflation and Donald Trump. People will just see the light and they'll vote for us.”
She continued: “I am here to say that Donald Trump and fighting MAGA is not a platform or a plan. We will not have a blue wave. We will not retake the House without a platform and a plan.”
Floyd, who describes herself as a “radical moderate,” said she does not agree with all of Mayor Zohran Mamdani’s platform, but she praised his campaign and said he succeeded because “he identified the issues that the Democratic Party wasn't listening to.” She said Mamdani focused on what New Yorkers were telling him, while the party was “over here talking other stuff, intellectual conversations about oligarchy and people's concerns about intellectual academic ivory tower stuff, he was actually hearing what people on the ground were saying.”
She said she plans to take a similar approach through a series of upcoming town halls, where the former journalist will sit down with local community leaders to discuss issues affecting the district.
What People Are Saying
George Conway told City & State earlier this month: “I just feel that I haven’t done enough. And I think this particular moment, because so much is at stake, really requires people who are very laser focused on fighting autocracy…I want to help get us past this moment so we can have a functioning democracy.”
Jack Schlossberg's campaign's X account in a January 8 post: "Congress has the power to investigate and take real action on ICE and DHS —and hold this administration to account for breaking the law. We won’t accept anything less. That will ONLY happen if Democrats win back the House. ABOLISH TRUMP."
Representative Jerry Nadler wrote in a January 15 X post: "Straight out of the dictator playbook: Trump is threatening to deploy the US military against the American people."
What Happens Next
Several candidates, including New York City Council Member Erik Bottcher and March for Our Lives co-founder Cameron Kasky, have already dropped out of the crowded primary. The Democratic primary will take place on June 23, with the general election slated for November 3.
