Travis Akers:
I was a Democrat for two decades. I believed in the big tent. I believed we were the party of inclusion, compassion, and intellectual curiosity. I believed we stood for the underdog and defended the right to speak, question, and think freely. But somewhere along the way, something changed.
What used to be a space for honest disagreement has become increasingly hostile to nuance and individual freedom. I watched people who spent their lives supporting progressive causes get shouted down, labeled, or erased because they asked a question or held a viewpoint that didn’t align perfectly with the newest orthodoxy. It only took one disagreement on one issue for an individual to be declared a traitor, a hater, or a bigot.
Tolerance should not be conditional. If we say we welcome diverse voices, then we have to mean it.
But too often, I saw people being pushed out of the tent for thinking independently. Conversations turned into purity tests. Debate became dangerous. Dissent, even respectful dissent, became heresy.
But now, people are leaving. Not because they gave up on justice or equality. They’re leaving because while still believing in those things, the loudest voices in a party I once called home will devour a person for having a singular view that doesn’t align with the influencers and media narrative, no matter how common-sense that view may be.
I remain ideologically aligned with a majority of liberals, but I became an independent after last year’s national election. Not because I’ve changed my values, but because I refuse to participate in a culture that claims to champion tolerance while punishing anyone who dares to think for themselves. I strongly regret contributing to that culture myself, because I used to be one of those people that created it.
But now, for the first time in a long time, I can speak without walking on eggshells or getting phone calls and texts from local and state party leaders. I can ask questions. I can challenge ideas. I can have real conversations, ones rooted in mutual respect and good faith, not in performance or fear of backlash.
True progress requires dialogue, not dogma. It requires the courage to listen as much as to speak. And most of all, it requires creating space where people are not punished for thinking critically or differently.
If Democrats insist on labeling anyone who questions the current orthodoxy as a bigot or extremist, you will drive away those who once fought alongside you. Not out of hatred, but out of exhaustion. Today, too often, it feels like conformity is demanded, and disagreement is treated as betrayal.
Heading into 2026, the choice is yours. Keep silencing and shaming those who don’t fall in line on every issue, or start listening again. Make room for honest conversations. Allow for principled disagreement. Show voters like me that you are still a party of ideas, not just identity.
Because if the tent keeps getting smaller at a time when many voters feel exactly like me, don't be surprised when fewer people show up.
