Jason Palmer, a former Democratic presidential primary candidate and co-founder of TOGETHER!, has predicted that the Democratic Party will adopt a split messaging strategy for the 2026 elections. Following a series of victories in the 02025 off-year elections, including governor’s races and key state and local positions, Palmer argues that the party’s future is still in question. The successes have seen both centrist and leftist candidates win, with centrist candidates winning in Virginia and New Jersey, and leftist candidates winning places like New York City. Palmer believes the 2025 victories could lead to a strategy where the party selects candidates and platforms based on regional politics, creating different messages for different parts of the country.
According to Palmer, the Democratic Party is making a mistake in its anti-billionaire messaging. He argues that most billionaires in America did not inherit their wealth, and that business building is a core part of what makes America great. Palmer suggests that the party should be pro-entrepreneurship and pro-mission-driven entrepreneurship. He also believes there is one issue that both Democrats and Republicans can agree on: conscious capitalism. Palmer sees public benefit corporations (PBC) as the future of the economy, as young people seek meaning through work.
Palmer suggests a two-step taxation process in Washington, D.C. to implement conscious capitalism as actual policy. This would allow corporations with mission-driven principles and impact metrics to pay a lower tax rate than purely for-profit companies. He encourages Democrats to look for younger candidates with entrepreneurial backgrounds to run in purple districts, believing they are more aligned with the values of conscious capitalism.