Barack Obama Gives Crucial Advice To Democrats Following 2025 Election Wins

In a brief appearance Thursday at a live taping of “Pod Save America” in Washington, D.C., former President Barack Obama said Democrats had a “good Tuesday,” citing the party’s strong performance in the 2025 elections, but cautioned they still have “a lot of work to do” to reverse GOP gains.

“It was good to see progressives get off the mat,” Obama said. “It was a good reminder that, it turns out that the American people are paying attention.”

“And what this election also taught us is that it turns out that if, number one, you have candidates with integrity who believe in something and are in it for the right reasons, they can win. And what we also learned is that when young people are engaged and involved, then we win,” Obama continued.

But the former president warned that while the party delivered solid results, which indicate Democrats are in a strong position to win a House majority in 2026, “we’ve got a lot of work to do,” urging against intraparty tensions as the party looks forward to the 2026 midterms and the 2028 presidential contest.

“Your task is going to be not to impose litmus tests,” he told the audience. “We had Abigail Spanberger win [Virginia’s gubernatorial contest], and we had Zohran Mamdani win [New York City’s mayoral race], and they are all part of a vision for the future. Our job is to say that we want everybody engaged, and we want to have a conversation about how to make sure that every person in this country is treated with dignity and respect.”

Democrats will have to demonstrate they recognize “we have differences, and yes, there are fights that are going to have to be fought, but that deep down, there is something core in us that we have in common that is extraordinary and that America at its best leans in to this notion of ‘E Pluribus Unum,’ that out of many can come one,” Obama said. “That’s the conversation that you need to have.”

Obama hit the campaign trail for Spanberger and now-New Jersey Gov.-elect Mikie Sherrill in the final stretch of their races, while he also reportedly spoke to Mamdani, calling his campaign “impressive to watch,” according to The New York Times. He also starred in an ad promoting Proposition 50 in California, a ballot initiative overwhelmingly approved by voters, enabling the state legislature to redraw the state’s congressional districts ahead of the 2026 elections.