Mistrust, tactical missteps and potential lessons for the next campaign. Those were the reflections Michigan’s Democratic politicians shared in the immediate aftermath of this year’s election, which brought heavy losses for their party, with few bright spots — or rather blue spots — for them.

“I was prepared for bad, but I wasn’t prepared for a complete kick in the ass,” state Rep. Kelly Breen, D-Novi, said following the Republican victory in the state House. Breen said she is dismayed that the country elected former President Donald Trump and said she feels the top of the presidential race has overshadowed the battle for control of the state house and the Democrats’ legislative record. “But I suspect a lot of people came out of the woodwork to vote in this race and this race only,” Breen said. “We were hoping that women would come out more for us. I don’t know what happened. I was just relying on people’s decency.”

Vice President Kamala Harris Michigan lost. But U.S. Rep. Elissa Slotkin, D-Holly, defeated Former Republican U.S. Rep. Mike Rogers of Brighton will win an open U.S. Senate seat in Michigan. Democrats lost their majority in Michigan’s congressional delegation, but state Sen. Kristen McDonald Rivet, D-Bay City, won a competitive race to succeed Dan Kildee, D-Flint Township. Democrats lost their majority in state house but they retained their majority on the Michigan Supreme Court.

Rep. state Rep. Joey Andrews, D-St. Joseph, said the aftermath of the election is reminiscent of 2016, when Hillary Clinton lost to Trump. “We have to look inward first,” he said of Democrats, who he said bore responsibility for Trump’s victory. “That’s up to us. We screwed this up.”

State Sen. Jeff Irwin, D-Ann Arbor, said the presidential race is always going to be close. “When the election is so close, there’s always a thousand different things you can do differently to win the election, right?” he said. “There will be a lot of analysis after the action.”

While Harris failed to win Michigan and Democrats lost control of the state House, Tuesday’s results were not a blowout or an indictment of the party’s current standing with voters, said state Rep. Phil Skaggs, D- Kentwood. “This is not a loss at a level that is catastrophic,” he said. He — like other Democratic politicians in Michigan — named blue-collar, working-class people as the constituency Democrats will have to work to reach. “People were nostalgic for a pre-Covid economy,” Skaggs said. “This was not a red tide.”

Economic messaging has been a central theme of Trump’s campaign. But Democrats had a messaging problem, many Democrats said.

As Trump rallied around Michigan, he promised to improve the economy. Trump has offered a myriad of policy plans, from raising tariffs on foreign goods to cutting taxes on everything from Social Security, tips and car loans. But Trump has not provided details on exactly how his economic policies will be implemented or how the tax revenue used to pay for things like Social Security will be recouped.

State Rep. Tyrone Carter, D-Detroit, brought up federal initiatives for COVID-19 relief and infrastructure spending, as well as legislation passed by Democrats in Michigan, such as the pension tax repeal. “I don’t think the Democrats got to those points enough,” Carter said Wednesday. “The bailout, the COVID relief, it’s not just the Democrats that have benefited from it. There were businesses that would have fallen, Republican and Democratic.”

Andrews said Harris didn’t offer much of an economic message. How would her down payment assistance proposal help someone who already owns a home or her small business assistance plan help someone who doesn’t own a business, Andrews asked.

While Democrats pointed out abortion rightsSherry Gay-Dagnogo, a former state lawmaker and school board member, said the party’s message emphasized reproductive rights over “core issues” and a focus on solutions to address poverty. “Our party; they’re deaf,” Gay-Dagnogo said. Abortion rights are important, but they are not the entirety of women’s health issues, she said. Gay-Dagnogo blamed most of the blame on unspecified white women in the state party, who she said favor messages that emphasize reproductive rights over other issues and allow out-of-state operators to make decisions that should be reserved grassroots activists in cities like Detroit.

Gay-Dagnogo also leveled some criticism at Michigan Democratic Party Chairwoman Lavora Barnes, who she said was told black women needed a greater voice in the party, to no avail. Andrews said the state party needs a pretty significant change in leadership. A spokesman for Barnes did not respond to an interview request for this article.

Democrats also appear poised for a reconciliation over the future shape of the party’s coalition.

More: From electric vehicles and mass deportation to prices, 5 ways a Trump presidency could impact Michigan

More: How Donald Trump beat Kamala Harris in Michigan

Rep. Garden City Rep. Dylan Wegela, a progressive lawmaker, described the election as something of a wake-up call. “The Democratic Party needs to find its voice among the working class. I think what we’ve seen is that we’re losing working-class voters, and something Trump says appeals to them,” Wegela said. Democrats called Trump a “scoundrel” or “mushroom man” and said the party should push for a positive vision for working-class people, an overhaul of the campaign finance system and corporate accountability. “And I don’t feel like I’ve done that,” he said. Instead of leaning toward Democratic values, he called the “biggest mistake” in the election was Harris’ decision to court moderate Republicans, which included a campaign stop with former U.S. Rep. Liz Cheney of Wyoming.

Meanwhile, following her re-election in a traditionally Republican congressional district in Kent County, U.S. Rep. Hillary Scholten, D-Grand Rapids, said many in West Michigan no longer feel they have a place in Trump’s Republican Party. Democrats need to do a better job of attracting those voters and making them feel welcome, she said.

“I hope people are paying attention to what’s going on in West Michigan. The political tailwinds have not been in the Democrats’ favor,” Scholten said.

Not all Democrats wanted to talk about the election. Spokespeople for Senate Democratic Leader Winnie Brinks of Grand Rapids, Attorney General Dana Nessel and Gov. Gretchen Whitmer did not respond to Free Press requests for an interview. Spokesmen for House Speaker Joe Tate, Dem. of Detroit, and U.S. Rep. Rashida Tlaib, D-Detroit, said they would let the Free Press know if either wanted to speak. The Free Press did not receive a response.

In statements Wednesday, Brinks, Tate and Whitmer talked about the following:

“During this transition to the new term, I remain committed to protecting the rights of all Michiganders, building economic opportunity for the middle class, and working with people of all political stripes who come to the table in good faith,” Brinks said. .

“House Democrats will work to win back our majority and provide a brighter future for the millions of residents who make Michigan their home,” Tate vowed.

“Now that the election is behind us, let’s remember that our nation is full of patriots — Democrats, Republicans and independents,” Whitmer said. “If you love Michigan, you have to love your fellow Michiganders — no matter what.”

Contact Clara Hendrickson: [email protected] or 313-296-5743. Follow X, formerly Twitter, @clarajanehen.

Contact Arpan Lobo: [email protected]

Contact Paul Egan: 517-372-8660 or [email protected].

This article originally appeared on the Detroit Free Press: After Trump takes back Michigan, Dems reflect on election loss