Rep. James Clyburn, a Democrat from South Carolina, said on Friday that Americans need to take warnings about democracy seriously during the 2024 election. His comments came after former President Barack Obama suggested that voters didn’t see democracy as a top concern.
Speaking with CNN’s Dana Bash, Clyburn reflected on the 1876 presidential election, which led to the Jim Crow era—a time of widespread voter suppression and racial segregation. He cautioned that the 2024 election could bring similar risks.
“I’m the ninth African-American to serve in Congress from South Carolina,” Clyburn said. “But it took 95 years between the eighth and ninth African-American representatives. That happened because democracy became deeply unfair after 1876. We can’t let that happen again.”
Clyburn’s comments were in response to Obama, who earlier said that Democrats’ warnings about threats to democracy didn’t seem to resonate with voters. Obama made those remarks at the Obama Foundation’s Democracy Forum, which took place after the 2024 election.
Obama noted that voters seemed more focused on other issues, saying, “Bridging our differences feels like an academic exercise when people are so divided. The election showed that democracy isn’t a top priority for most.”
While Clyburn agreed with Obama’s observation, he questioned if that was a good sign for the country. “President Obama is right, but should we accept that as normal? I don’t think so,” Clyburn said.
Following President-elect Donald Trump’s victory over Vice President Kamala Harris, Democrats have begun analyzing what went wrong. Some argue that the party didn’t focus enough on economic issues or connect with working-class voters, which might have contributed to their loss.