(NewsNation) — After losing the White House, House of Representatives and Senate in the 2024 election, Democrats need to start “showing up everywhere,” New York State Sen. James Skoufis says.

“I just saw the other day that (Republican President-elect) Donald Trump held rallies in 49 out of 50 states over the past several years,” Skoufis said on “Morning in America” Monday. “We need to start showing up as a top of the ticket outside of just seven states, even if those are the battleground states. We need to become a national party again.”

They also need to stop telling people “how to think,” Skoufis said.

“We have to do a lot more listening. We have to do a lot more responding to people’s sentiments,” Skoufis said. “When someone argues, like myself, that we need a stronger border, elements of our party should not knee-jerk react and label that person as racist.”

Skoufis launched his bid to chair the Democratic National Committee on Saturday. NewsNation partner The Hill reports that this is Skoufis’ first time entering national politics after serving in the upper chamber of the New York State Legislature since 2023.