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The results of the 2024 election have left me disappointed. I am disappointed that this nation chose the prospect of a good economy over human rights. I am disappointed that my generation voted for former President Donald Trump, proving that we are no different from the ones who came before us. I am saddened to picture the long-term impacts of another Trump presidency. But most of all, I am disappointed in the Democratic Party.

The Democrats have chosen centrism over meaningful progress. They have abandoned the working class, and they have ignored the people who needed them most. If this were any other election, I wouldn’t be surprised that they lost.

But come on — Trump?

I want to be clear when I say I do not sympathize with Trump voters. I do not believe it is OK to vote for an openly bigoted and antidemocratic felon whose presidency could put the livelihoods of community members at risk. America deserves better.

However, “better” seems just out of reach because the Democratic Party is so incredibly inadequate.

Rather than promising effective reform, former Democratic candidate and Vice President Kamala Harris told voters she would ensure America has the “most lethal” military. She accepted an endorsement from Dick Cheney, vice president to former President George W. Bush, alongside funding from 83 billionaires. She barely spoke on health care reform or labor rights but harped on her plans for increased border security and support for fracking.

“If the Democratic Party wants to regain the trust of disillusioned voters, it’s clear that they must be held accountable, and it’s up to us to demand better. A party that has chosen centrism over reform should no longer be allowed to coast by on the fear of the other side.”

Harris’ presidential campaign illustrated how the Democratic Party has chosen a centrist agenda that prioritizes maintaining the status quo over transformative reform.

Unfortunately for Harris, liberal voters don’t have time for centrism — not when our country is engaged in genocide, not when the climate is rapidly heating to unprecedented levels and not when far-right factions of the Republican Party have consistently challenged human rights under President Joe Biden’s watch.

The Democratic Party has chosen to leave behind large chunks of its support base in order to appeal to a broader audience, a campaign strategy that is disgustingly disingenuous.

One painfully forgotten group is the working class.

As Sen. Bernie Sanders put it, “It should come as no great surprise that a Democratic Party, which has abandoned working class people, would find that the working class has abandoned them.”

Trump won the Latinx/é and Black working-class vote this year after winning the white working-class vote in the 2020 election. This makes sense, considering both Biden and Harris aimed their campaigns toward moderate voters living in suburbia.

What message does it send to voters when a presidential candidate champions higher education reform but fails to explain how they plan to protect the working class from corporate interests? What should working-class voters conclude when they are left out of the conversation almost entirely, but there is another candidate who promises to lower taxes and support industry growth?

Again, I want to clarify: I do not believe it is acceptable to vote for economic improvement when it comes at the cost of human rights. Trump imposed rollbacks on civil rights several times throughout his presidency and promised to continue doing so in his second term.

Furthermore, trickle-down economics, which Trump supports, has proven to be ineffective and harmful. Many Americans who were disgruntled with the economy under Biden did not take into account that there has been a global economic downturn throughout his presidency. To the dismay of many Americans, Trump is unlikely to make inflation “vanish completely,” as he puts it.

However, Harris failed to explain this to voters. She instead repeated the same talking points, attacking Trump for his unprogressive attitude while simultaneously voicing her belief that Israel has the “right to defend itself,” even as Israel committed humanitarian atrocities against tens of thousands of Palestinians.

Harris’ failure to voice a clear and decisive stance against Israel cost her a significant portion of votes. Democrats had a significantly lower turnout in 2024 than in 2020, perhaps because so many Democrats threatened to withhold their vote until Harris condemned Israel.

If the Democratic Party wants to regain the trust of disillusioned voters, it’s clear that they must be held accountable, and it’s up to us to demand better. A party that has chosen centrism over reform should no longer be allowed to coast by on the fear of the other side.

We must refuse to settle for empty promises and tepid policies and instead call for a Democratic Party that is unafraid to take real, transformative action. We need to be on the streets supporting grassroots movements, in the courthouse demanding policy change and in the voting booths holding Democrats accountable for their inaction. We need to be as loud as possible until they hear us.

The Democrats have failed us. Now we must fight for the party we deserve.