Democratic mayors in red states launch new group to counter MAGA and far-left extremes
Cleveland Mayor Bibb will lead Blue Cities/Red States, launching next week.
A group of 15 Democratic mayors governing in Republican-dominated states are building a new political operation that aims to influence national politics as a center-left alternative to both the MAGA movement and what they describe as "far-left dysfunction" from groups like the Democratic Socialists of America.
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they → launch → America
The organization -- Blue Cities/Red States -- is led by Cleveland Mayor Justin Bibb and will launch next week in Miami with a kickoff event hosted by its mayor, Eileen Higgins.
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organization → lead → mayor
The founding mayors lead cities including Atlanta, Jacksonville, Boise, Tulsa and Memphis -- governing more than 7 million Americans across 11 red and purple states, according to a memo for the new coalition.
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mayors → found → coalition
In an interview with ABC News, Bibb said he hopes these mayors will emerge as a kind of testing ground for a post-2024 Democratic message.
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mayors → say → message
He suggested that the party can rebuild trust among voters by zeroing in on things such as public safety, affordability, economic growth -- things that these mayors often govern on, up against Republicans at times, Bibb said.
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Bibb → suggest → times
"As Democrats talk about closing the credibility gap, these 15 mayors have been closing that gap in their cities -- without the cover of a Democratic governor or a Democratic-led legislature," Bibb said.
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Bibb → talk → governor
Higgins, who was elected as Miami's mayor in December as the first Democrat to serve in 28 years, also emphasized the group's focus on working against the political extremes.
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who → elect → extremes
"Working for a more united states is a core theme of Blue Cities/Red States, and we do this by pushing back against extremism and promoting a more practical brand of leadership that focuses on results over rhetoric," Higgins said.
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Higgins → work → rhetoric
"This includes balancing the need to stand up for your community against harmful policies but also finding compromise solutions that deliver results."
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that → include → results
The group plans to have a permanent national platform, fundraising and organizational infrastructure, polling and message testing, and a national paid-media strategy heading into the 2026 and 2028 cycles, according to the memo.
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group → plan → memo
Bibb claimed the group is also in talks with members of Congress about aligning their agendas.
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group → claim → agendas
"We want to influence the next speaker, and the next Congress, and the next president.
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We → want → speaker
We know what this next Congress should be focused on to address cost and affordability, to address public safety," Bibb said.
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Bibb → know → safety
"I think long term, it's leaders like this that allows us to expand the map.
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us → think → map
As we saw in 2024, the 'blue wall' doesn't exist anymore.
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wall → see → 2024
So if you want to win in Idaho and Nebraska and Georgia and Arizona and Missouri and Ohio, we’ve got to invest in mayors, and I think mayors represent the best future for the Democratic Party."
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mayors → want → Party
This group is building out just ahead of the midterms, when Democrats are expected to notch victories that could come as a result of President Donald Trump’s unpopularity rather than their own party's image, a new Wall Street Journal poll shows.
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poll → build → unpopularity
According to the poll, Democrats received some of their lowest approval ratings in decades since Trump took office last year.
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Trump → accord → office
They have a 38% favorable rating, just behind the Republican Party’s 39% favorability rating.
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They → have → rating
In the Wall Street Journal poll, Democratic Socialists of America had just a 24% favorable rating.
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Socialists → have → rating
Bibb said he hopes that by boosting these red-state Democratic mayors, Republicans could learn to trust Democrats.
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Republicans → say → Democrats
"You know, poll after poll after poll shows that MAGA Republicans and Democrats agree that affordability is the No. 1 issue, but when you look at Republicans -- and specifically MAGA Republicans -- they don't trust Democrats to actually execute.
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they → know → Democrats
And this coalition is the answer to that question, and that's our value proposition long term,” Bibb said.
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Bibb → say → question
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