“Anybody running for office right now has to talk about the reality that people are facing in their own lives. People aren’t interested in abstractions,” said Jeff Weaver, the campaign manager for Sen. Bernie Sanders’s 2016 presidential bid. “Obviously, Trump’s behavior is in many ways repugnant, and that’s obviously an issue. But candidates have to talk about how they’re going to improve the lives of ordinary Americans. And if you do that in an authentic way, it will resonate.”…

“All that money went to presidential races, but it was burned — lit on fire,” Konst added. “And who suffers as a result of some consultants getting third, fourth and fifth homes? The American people — people being rounded up by ICE.”

Struggles with branding have been evident in Alabama, where national leaders have worked to avoid linking themselves to Jones. Unlike in Virginia, where DNC Chairman Tom Perez live-tweeted several campaign visits, the party and allies, including Planned Parenthood, have left few footprints. Rep. John Lewis (D-Ga.), Sen. Cory Booker (D-N.J.) and other black lawmakers made campaign stops this weekend to build support among black voters to boost Jones’s chances. The party’s Senate super PAC created an Alabama-centric shell PAC, Highway 31, which has spent $2.9 million and will not have to disclose donors until the election is over.