Democrats Abroad Luxembourg 'optimistic' about presidential election

Democrats Abroad is the official organisation for members of the US Democratic Party living temporarily or permanently outside of the United States. It works to help American citizens abroad participate in US elections by supporting voter registration, mobilising overseas voting, and advocating for the interests of Americans overseas. The group serves as a crucial arm for Democrats in their efforts to reach millions of potential voters abroad, ensuring they can stay connected with US politics and exercise their voting rights in local, state, and federal elections.

The Luxembourg section of Democrats Abroad is part of this global network, specifically tailored to serve US citizens living in the Grand Duchy. The chapter organises events, provides resources, and offers guidance on voting and political issues relevant to US expats. Ahead of the 2024 US presidential election, our colleagues from RTL spoke with Will Bakker, legal counsel of Democrats Abroad Luxembourg, about the unique structure of the Democratic Party and the role that Democrats Abroad plays in empowering overseas voters.

Cédric Ferry also spoke to a member of Republicans Overseas; read the full interview here.

Connecting US expats to the Democratic Party

Bakker highlighted that American political parties differ from European parties in many ways, first providing greater insights into the structure of the Democratic Party, as well as the role that the subdivision of Democrats Abroad plays: "The Democratic Party is not a membership party in the way that a lot of European parties are, in fact, most people who call themselves Democrats don't belong to a party organization. But instead, they vote in one of the states, and the Democratic Party is actually made up of 57 different parts, including the 50 states. And then Democrats Abroad represents all of the Democrats living all over the world outside of the states and territories of the United States.

The legal counsel further explained that while one of the primary missions of the organisation is to support the re-election bids of Democratic candidates across the US, they "don't elect any legislators or any other officials."

Equality and government support as key Democratic beliefs

When asked about the core values of the Democratic Party, Bakker highlighted two essential beliefs that he feels define what it means to be a Democrat: "One is a belief in fundamental equality, that everybody has dignity and should be respected and should be able to pursue their dreams in the United States. And also have equality before the law, that discrimination by the police or by the courts is a big problem."

Bakker also emphasised Democrats' view on the role of government, which differs from that of Republicans, who generally advocate for limited government intervention: "The other [belief] is that government can provide the common things that we all need in order to succeed in a society. Ideally, this would be true about both parties. Both parties would believe both of these things. But for the moment, these are actually distinctive of being a Democrat."

Harris' candidacy sparks optimism

Bakker expressed optimism about the upcoming election, particularly following Kamala Harris’ entry as the presidential candidate. “We’re quite optimistic”, Bakker said, noting that her candidacy “helps Democrats running everywhere". Reflecting on the current administration, Bakker said: "We’re very proud of what Joe Biden has accomplished during his term in office", labelling him a "good Democrat". However, he added that the "energy and ideas" brought by Kamala Harris and Tim Walz have also attracted new members and volunteers eager to contribute to the campaign.

One of the primary efforts Democrats Abroad is focusing on is phone banking. "We're calling Americans who live overseas to ask them if they've gotten their ballot [and] whether they voted or not”, Bakker explained, describing the initiative as yielding "very good results".

Although the polls indicate a close race, Bakker remains hopeful. "Sometimes it can be a little unbelievable that the polls look as close as they are", he acknowledged, but stressed the importance of voter turnout over poll numbers:"We don’t depend on the polls. We need to wait and see how everybody votes. And we're confident that Democrats will win in November.

Democracy, abortion, and elder care

Bakker emphasised the Democratic Party's central message for the 2024 election, stating that "democracy is on the ballot". He described the choice between Harris and Trump as one between a candidate who will defend the country’s core democratic principles and one who "clearly has contempt for that idea".

The legal counsel went on to discuss one of the critical policy issues expected to mobilise many American voters in the upcoming election: abortion rights. He noted that abortion has recently been "made illegal all over the United States because of the Supreme Court decision [to overturn Roe v Wade]". He believes the Democratic ticket to be strong on the issue: "Kamala Harris and Tim Walz clearly stand for giving back that right. It's been a long time since we've lost a right in the United States, and that needs to be taken care of."

Bakker then elaborated on a specific policy close to his own heart: "But to talk about a particular policy, in part due to my age – I have older parents – and Kamala Harris just announced that she wants to include at-home care for elder Americans in the state support for health care. And this makes an enormous difference, not only for the older people, who can now be cared for at home, but also for those of us who have to take care of our parents, especially if we're so far from home."

He shared that he worries significantly about his parents and the support that they are getting, and asserted that financial aid would help ease the burden. "I'm especially excited about that", Bakker noted.

Foreign policy

When it comes to foreign policies, Bakker contended that the Democratic candidate for president is the logical option, particularly highlighting support for NATO: "I think that for the transatlantic partnership, there's a clear choice with Kamala Harris. She stated again and again that she considers ... NATO allies to be the closest and that this is an important part of the world order that needs to be kept in place."

Old-school Republicans marginalised

In response to the vision that the Republican Party has been working towards in the past couple of years, Bakker argued that they do not shy away from "demonizing and even expressing hate for other Americans" as a means to an end. "That's been part of the Republican Party for a long time, but not always a dominant part", Bakker said.

The Democrat continued: "What we've seen since 2020 in particular is a cleansing [and] purging of the Republican Party, where it's become a barrier for entry as a candidate or as an activist, you must express a belief that 'real Americans', and I use that, you know, the way that they use it, 'real Americans' are somehow better than Muslims, are better than the urban poor, are better than transgender or non-binary individuals, where you can no longer hold a dissenting view within the Republican Party."

Bakker noted that the more traditional wing of the Republican Party has been continuously pushed aside, with the more extreme wing taking over reigns. Much of that has to do with the dominance of Donald Trump, according to Bakker: "Unless you pledge fealty to the Trump and Trump family. I mean, we see that he's installing his in-laws and his sons and daughters in various places throughout the party. It really is distressing."