Democrats lost in Rust Belt states such as Ohio, Pennsylvania, and Wisconsin because they appeared to care little about job seekers, according a report in The Washington Post.
"People in the heartland thought the Democratic Party cared more about where someone went to the bathroom than whether they had a good-paying job," said David Betras, Democratic Party chairman in Ohio's Mahoning County.
Betras then criticized one of Democratic candidate Hillary Clinton's slogans: "'Stronger Together' doesn't get anyone a job," according to The Post.
In May, Betras wrote a private memo to leaders in Clinton's campaign, saying her campaign was in danger in Ohio, Pennsylvania, and Michigan unless she focused on trade, the Post reported.
One quarter of the county's Republicans were previously registered Democrats, according to The Post. The chairman had to remove 18 members from his own party's central committee because they had voted for Republican candidate Donald Trump.
The Clinton campaign never responded to his letter, Betras said.
"I tried – I should have yelled louder," he said.
He added Democrats were not focusing on people's needs.
"When people are thirsty, they'll drink dirty water. When people are hungry, they'll eat bad food to get sustenance. That is why the great blue wall became the great blue paper wall," Betras told The Post, referring to a line of states that traditionally voted Democratic, but went to Trump in the election.
The chairman rebuked his own party's message in comparison to Trump's: "We were so off message that a guy who ***** in gold-plated toilets is connecting with these people."
Tim Ryan, the Democratic representative who covers Ohio's Mahoning County, told The Post the lack of connection is why he is challenging Nancy Pelosi for House minority leader.
"The coastal elites don't understand the struggle," Ryan said. "It's like we're foreign to them, and as a result, the people here feel like the Democratic Party is now foreign to them."
Advisers from Clinton's campaign spoke to The Post about what went wrong in Ohio. One said, "Is there a messaging aspect that could have been done better? I'm sure there could be . . . it's more of the fact that we were unable to tap into economic anxiety [nationally] than that we were not paying attention."
"Democrats didn't address the fears," according to McDonald Village Democrat Glenn Holmes, who won a state House seat in the election.
Ryan said Democrats were not talking about "bread and butter issues," such as people losing their pensions.
One of Clinton's advisers said Trump is not expected to be able to deliver on his promises, and Democrats must take advantage.
"We just have to demonstrate why we're economically relevant to these voters," the adviser said. "Trump is going to help make that case for us."
Appearing Tuesday on Boston radio's WBUR 90.9, Ryan criticized his party again, saying the Democrats are "not a national party right now."
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