DNC Vice Chair reacts to ‘Dems Sweep’, shutdown, and chances for the party in Utah

SALT LAKE CITY (ABC4) — “I’m still smiling from ear to ear,” said Democratic National Committee Vice Chair Malcolm Kenyatta during a stop in Utah this week. Kenyatta, also a state representative in Pennsylvania, called the wins in New Jersey, Virginia, New York City and Georgia “historic.”

Wins for democrats across the country spanned from governorships to roles on the public service commission in Georgia. They also spanned political ideologies within the party. For example, talk of democratic socialism dominated the discussion around Zohran Mamdani’s win in New York City, but candidates like Abigail Spanberger in Virginia were seen as more moderate. The through-line message in these wins? Affordability.

Kenyatta explained, “Democrats in different states, completely different profiles, different neighbors that they were talking to, all talked about the three simple words that I think sum up what the Democratic Party has to be about. And it’s, how do we ‘make life better’ for working people and working families? And that’s what our candidates talked about.”

Republicans have rebuffed at the notion that Tuesday’s results mean anything in terms of 2026’s midterms. House Speaker Mike Johnson said, “We all saw that coming, and no one should read too much into last night’s election results. Off-year elections are not indicative of what’s to come. That’s what history teaches us.”

But Kenyatta believes the results did mean something. In fact, he believes it was a direct indictment on the current state of the country and the Trump administration.

Kenyatta said, “In every single economic metric that you can look at, he’s made things worse. And I think that’s what the American people were saying on Tuesday, very loudly, that they want us focused, all of us focused on how we’re going to make their lives more affordable. And also, I think people are sick of the chaos and the corruption that has become commonplace.”

Government Shutdown

Lawmakers in Washington D.C. continue to fight over who is to blame for the government shutdown. Republicans say it’s senate democrats not voting for the continuing resolutions passed in the House that is causing the shutdown to continue. But democratic lawmakers say they are holding out until their republican colleagues come to the table to negotiate on healthcare. Kenyatta believes the onus ultimately lies on the republicans who are in power.

He argued, “If you’re in control of all three branches of government, you are responsible for the government not functioning. That’s like pretty basic. But if you’re saying, ‘hey, we need Democratic votes,’ then you need to do things to earn Democratic votes. The way you earn Democratic votes is by not putting the American people in a position where they can’t afford healthcare.”

Democrat success in Utah?

The future for democrats in Utah could see opportunity as the state continues to grapple with redistricting. Some analyze that depending on the new map, democrats could see one or even two seats become competitive starting in 2026. But does an organization like the DNC try to invest in a solidly red state like Utah? Kenyatta said yes, “We’re not just going to hunker down in seven battleground states.”

Kenyatta added, “I’m confident that if we organize everywhere, we can win anywhere, as chair Ken Martin says all the time. But I also know that if we don’t organize in places, we never have a chance to win.”

The full interview can be watched in its entirety in the video above and on our streaming app News4Utah+.