James Carville cautions Democrats to stay away from DEI policies after midterm victories

Veteran Democratic strategist James Carville has urged his party not to revive diversity, equity and inclusion policies after its midterm victories, saying such positions cost Democrats seats and are unpopular with voters. His comments came in response to California Representative Ro Khanna saying “DEI is back”; Carville agreed with New York Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez’s criticism of “Woke 1” politics.

Carville said Democrats should prioritise issues he believes can build wider agreement, including progressive taxation, rural hospitals, education and libraries, while reaching out to rural Americans. Dan Turrentine, a Democratic co-host of “The Huddle”, said candidates in competitive states and districts had avoided making DEI a campaign focus and instead stressed costs, chaos and corruption. He argued that a winning presidential candidate would need to appeal to a broad coalition.