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Democratic strategist James Carville got blunt about why the Democratic Party remains unpopular on Monday, telling MS NOW host Ari Melber it was because they haven’t won elections.
Melber noted polling published this month by CNN/SSRS that found just 28% of Americans have a favorable view of the Democratic Party, compared to 32% who have a favorable view of the Republican Party. Melber asked Carville whether this was troubling as the party looks to take back Congress in November.
“No,” Carville responded. “The reason that people don’t like the Democratic Party is the same reason I don’t like it right now: we lost. When you win, that changes everything. People are part of a political party because they want the party to win elections. We lost the last election. You’re not supposed to like us, OK? I don’t like us.”
Carville said the most important thing a political party can do is win elections and said he would start liking the Democratic Party again once they win some elections.
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Veteran Democratic strategist James Carville says Vance’s recent political moves have been gifts to the Democratic Party. (Emma McIntyre/Getty Images)
“And the public is justifiably harsh toward Democrats, as they well should be. And the way to cure that is not with a seven-point plan that you’re not going to get through between now and 2028 anyway, but it’s to go forth and win the election. Then the Democrats will start liking you again,” Carville responded.
Carville told Melber, “That’s simply what it is. I keep seeing that, and don’t try to address that. Just like I say, don’t just do nothing — stand there. If you do that, party favorability is going to go up 7%, 10% already. And then you get some presidential candidates, it’ll go up more.”
The same CNN poll also revealed that more voters said they would support Democrats in the midterms, 48%, compared to Republicans, 42%.
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James Carville speaks onstage during the Carville: Winning is Everything, Stupid! Q&A at the 27th SCAD Savannah Film Festival in Savannah, Ga., on Oct. 31, 2024. (Cindy Ord/Getty Images for SCAD)
The Democrats have won multiple elections in the last year, including two gubernatorial races in Virginia and New Jersey.
Carville has lashed out at President Donald Trump multiple times over the last few months and on Friday said he hoped he didn’t “croak” before the midterms.
“You sit down, and you listen to me, you fat f—,” Carville began.
“I told you that you’d be gone by April Fools of 2027,” he continued. “I’m getting a little worried. I’ve got to tell you, I watched that word mash you had the night before last, I guess it was. Man, I’ve got to tell you, don’t go throw the f—ing number on me before the election, because I want you very, very aware on election night when people tell you what the f— they think of you. They hate you. Everybody hates you.”
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James Carville attends The New York Times DealBook Summit 2025 at Jazz at Lincoln Center on Dec. 3, 2025, in New York City. (David Dee Delgado/Getty Images)
Carville then critiqued the president’s recent erosion in the polls.
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‘ Taylor Penley contributed to this report.
