ICYMI: The 2024 Freedom Agenda
The primary elections on Super Tuesday (March 5) are likely to solidify the presidential candidates for the 2024 election. In the coming months, voters will be bombarded with negative attacks and breathless coverage of the news of the moment. But for Democratic candidates to be successful in November, it’s vital to focus on the values of the two major parties.
As Democratic candidates up and down the ballot speak to voters in the coming months, NewDEAL Leaders, a group of nearly 200 forward-looking state and local elected Democrats, and the Congressional New Democrats, one of the largest blocs of House Democrats, released their joint 2024 Freedom Agenda late last year. This agenda outlines how Democrats from city councils to state legislators to Congress are fighting to protect Americans’ fundamental freedoms and expand opportunities.
The agenda lays out the guiding principles that will shape our legislative priorities moving forward. It calls for Democrats to avoid the distractions of a 24-hour news cycle and provides a clear distillation of how to show that our values resonate with Americans in every state and zip code.
In mid-January, Rep. Annie Kuster (D-NH), chair of the New Democrat Coalition, and Debbie Cox Bultan, CEO of NewDEAL, wrote a joint op-ed in The Hill highlighting the importance of the Freedom Agenda.
“With another election year upon us, it is time for Americans to decide which candidates best represent their values,” the two wrote. “It’s clear that at every level of government, Democrats are the true defenders of Americans’ fundamental freedoms, while Republicans are working to take them away.”
As we move closer to the general election, this agenda draws a sharp contrast with how Republicans continue to sow chaos and division at every level of government. The Freedom Agenda lays out core values shared by Americans across the country, consisting of three primary components: Freedom of Opportunity; Freedom in Communities; and Freedom through Democracy.
Launched at NewDEAL’s Annual Leaders Conference, the 2024 Freedom Agenda advocates for laws and policies that promote:
- Freedom to achieve the American Dream;
- Freedom to access economic opportunity, including good jobs, education, and high-quality childcare;
- Freedom to make personal choices about health care, including reproductive health care
- Freedom to worship when, where, and how people want;
- Freedom to live free from violence;
- Freedom to clean air and water;
- Freedom to serve proudly and openly in America’s armed forces; and
- Freedom to participate fully in the democratic process.
While Republicans work to roll back essential freedoms, New Dems and NewDEAL Leaders are fighting tooth and nail to fortify Americans’ rights and are working to create economic opportunities.
Read more about the 2024 American Freedom Agenda here.
Read the op-ed in The Hill here.
