The new Democratic stars: left-wing, populist, authentic

When Barack Obama was elected president in 2008, Abdul El-Sayed was 24 years old and had just completed his bachelor's degree in biology and politics. Meanwhile, Jon Ossoff was studying for his college degree at Georgetown. And yet, at the campaign events, a real chemistry could be felt between the two junior candidates and the now graying elder statesman when they appeared together.

El-Sayed and Obama joked about their names, which were strange to American tastes, and Obama mentioned Sayed's impressive biceps with envy. Meanwhile, Jon Ossoff has long been said to have the nonchalance and sovereignty of Obama. New York Times columnist Ezra Klein said Ossoff's campaign videos used the visual grammar of Obama's campaigns, and Politico columnist Jonathan Martin said the O in Ossoff's campaign logo could just as easily stand for Obama.

Since Obama's handover to Donald Trump in 2012, the Democratic Party and the liberal public have complained that there is no longer any political talent or leadership in the party. President Joe Biden was a long-awaited return to political normality in 2020 after four years of Trump, but far from a revelation. In the 2024 presidential election campaign, no Democratic candidate dared to run against Biden and his campaign machine. Since the start of Trump's second term in office, the resistance has become even more desperate to find a leader.

Since this Tuesday, however, it seems as if the Democratic Party can hardly save itself from potential leaders. El-Sayed confidently withstood even the worst attacks on his person in Michigan. His opponents' attempts to paint him as an Islamist were rejected by him, and even the betrayal of his party colleague Haley Stevens, who shortly beforehand switched political sides, failed to unsettle him. He steadfastly defended himself without slipping into the vulgarity of his opponents and conveyed a convincing mix of competence and down-to-earthness.

Ossoff, meanwhile, is said to have the aura of a Kennedy. During his election campaign, he managed to get under Donald Trump's skin with precise attacks without losing his cool. Addressing Trump, Ossoff said things like: “Our job is not just to fight his evil, but to cure the rot that led to his rise.”

Added to this is Ossoff's virtuosity in dealing with social media, which he owes not least to his past as a filmmaker. His lavishly produced short videos, often with compact attacks against Trump from his speeches, regularly receive millions of clicks. His campaign events are always choreographed with Instagram in mind.

But Ossoff and Sayed aren't the only young Democratic talents on show to the nation on Tuesday. James Talarico's charm is certainly not for everyone, but it was extremely effective in the deeply religious South.

In South Carolina, the general public got to know 46-year-old pediatrician Annie Andrews, who scored points with her voters with her biting criticism of Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and replaced Republican veteran Lindsey Graham.

In New Hampshire, the now first openly gay Senator Chris Pappas won. In Iowa, Rob Sands, who worked as a young volunteer for Obama in 2008 and made a name for himself as an anti-corruption fighter, was elected governor in Iowa. And in Texas, 52-year-old Gina Hinojosa became the first Latina elected governor and the first Democrat to win a statewide race in Texas since 1994.

They all represent a generational shift among Democrats. The late Boomers and young Gen-Xers have abdicated, and it's the turn of the Millennials. They represent a farewell to the encrusted party establishment, which is not least responsible for the debacle of 2024. They bring a breath of fresh air, a fresh energy and the promise of a new beginning to Washington.

There seems to be a direct line from Barack Obama to this generation. In an interview, pollster and political expert Nate Silver compared Obama to basketball star Steph Curry. Curry revolutionized his sport 15 years ago by relying exclusively on distance throws. The tactic was successful, his team won one championship after another, and today the kids are already practicing distance throws at school.

In a similar way, Obama revolutionized politics. He was the first to run a truly digital election campaign and at the same time bring a new communication style to the stage. Obama captivated the crowds with a vision without sacrificing intellectual depth. According to Nate Silver, the new crop of politicians are like high school kids emulating a new role model.

However, the generational succession in the Democratic Party was interrupted. In 2012, Bernie Sanders lost within the party to Hillary Clinton, who symbolized a return to the Democratic Party before Obama. And then Trump's election interrupted everything.

So Obama's generation, today's old boomers and young Gen-Xers, was politically lost between two political eras. Kamala Harris is certainly the most tragic example of failure of this generation. If she actually runs in 2028, her chances would probably be mediocre.

Meanwhile, the rise of the new generation began in the 2018 midterm elections with the surprise victory of the clever and charismatic socialist Alexandra Ocasio-Cortez, who in many ways broke the ground for the current candidates. This was followed by Pete Buttigieg, the first openly gay presidential candidate in the USA. Last year, the young millennial Zohran Mamdani emerged out of nowhere as the new star of the Democratic Party.

According to Nate Silver, this generation is taking up Obama's baton with its energy and a new set of values. They have perfected the use of social media - Mamdani won the mayor's office in New York City, to put it bluntly, with his Instagram presence. They tend to be left-wing progressive and are not afraid to make political messages more populist. And they come across as authentic throughout.

Two of this group currently stand out as solid candidates for the presidency in 2028: Jon Ossoff and Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez. Ossoff's fixation on Trump and the professionalism of his campaign make it hard to overlook his ambitions. He also seems to have found a promising formula in linking the issue of corruption with the suffering of ordinary people who suffer from inflation.

Meanwhile, AOC remains tight-lipped about her possible future: “I will do what I have always done, serve the American people and my voters with all my might,” she says. Of course, this can be done in different ways. What was striking, however, was that Ocasio-Cortez, who was easily re-elected for the fifth time in her home district, the Bronx in New York, had a busy travel schedule during this election campaign. From Virginia to Nebraska and from California to Pennsylvania, she stood by her party comrades - certainly not without ulterior motives. There is hardly a better way to present yourself to voters across the country.

However, it will still be a few months before the 2028 election campaign begins in earnest. In the meantime, the new senators and congressmen in Washington must prove that they can actually change the political culture there. Barack Obama can tell you a thing or two about how difficult it is.