Where Democrats stand

The issues that decide the next election

Plain-English positions on the ten issues Democratic candidates and voters care about most. Share these with the friend who says “I don’t even know what Democrats stand for anymore.”

Reproductive rights

Codify Roe. Protect access to abortion, contraception, and IVF. Fight state-level bans through the courts and the ballot.

  • Federal legislation restoring Roe v. Wade protections
  • State constitutional amendments protecting abortion access
  • Guaranteed access to contraception and IVF nationwide

Voting rights & democracy

Automatic voter registration, restored Voting Rights Act enforcement, independent redistricting, and an end to voter suppression.

  • Pass the John Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act
  • Automatic and same-day voter registration in every state
  • Independent, nonpartisan redistricting commissions
  • Restore voting rights to returning citizens

Climate & clean energy

Build on the Inflation Reduction Act. Accelerate the clean-energy transition and hold polluters accountable.

  • Full implementation and expansion of IRA clean-energy investments
  • Aggressive permitting reform for wind, solar, and transmission
  • Environmental justice funding for frontline communities

Housing affordability

Fix the supply crisis. Fund affordable production, reform zoning, and protect renters.

  • Federal incentives for zoning reform and dense housing
  • $10B+ in affordable-housing production financing
  • Federal renter protections and eviction defense funding

Healthcare

Protect Medicare and Medicaid. Cap drug prices. Move toward universal coverage.

  • Defend Medicare and Medicaid from cuts and privatization
  • Extend and expand ACA subsidies permanently
  • Cap out-of-pocket prescription costs for all Americans
  • Public option and Medicare buy-in at 55+

Public education

Fund public schools. Cancel and refinance student debt. Make community college free.

  • Federal floor for teacher pay and school funding equity
  • Universal pre-K and expanded Head Start
  • Broad-based student-debt relief and free community college

Gun safety

Universal background checks, an assault weapons ban, red-flag laws, and safe storage requirements.

  • Universal background checks on all firearm sales
  • Reinstate the federal assault weapons ban
  • Federal red-flag standards and safe-storage requirements

Economy & workers

Raise the minimum wage. Strengthen unions. Take on corporate concentration and price gouging.

  • $17 federal minimum wage indexed to inflation
  • Pass the PRO Act to protect the right to organize
  • Aggressive antitrust enforcement in tech, healthcare, and grocery

Justice & civil rights

End mass incarceration, protect LGBTQ+ Americans, and defend the rule of law.

  • Federal police accountability and use-of-force standards
  • Equality Act — full LGBTQ+ nondiscrimination protections
  • Sentencing reform and reentry investment

Immigration

Comprehensive reform: a path to citizenship for Dreamers, an orderly asylum system, and secure, humane borders.

  • Path to citizenship for DACA recipients and long-term residents
  • Modernize the asylum and immigration-court system
  • Employment-based visa reform to grow the economy

Read the analysis behind these positions

Our editors dig into what’s working, what isn’t, and where Democrats need to move next.