A recent poll published by the New York Times stirred up chatter about President Biden’s vulnerability against Donald Trump. Not a week later, Democrats nationwide celebrated major victories on this year’s off-cycle election night. This discrepancy between media narratives and actual results show that Democratic candidates and policies remain popular with voters.

While punditry on the airwaves and the platform formerly known as Twitter have called for hand-wringing and panic, Democrats, the president included, remain in a strong position heading into a major election year. Party activists, campaigns, and those who care about the preservation of democracy in our country need to ignore the noise, put in the work, and continue to turn out votes for next year’s election.

Evidence for this forward march can be found locally here in Rhode Island. Congressman-Elect Gabe Amo, despite a poll showing a closer than expected race between him and his Republican opponent, handily defeated Gerry Leonard in the CD-1 special election. Amo took as much as 90 percent of the vote in Providence. On an even more local scale, Democratic Cranston City Councilor Dan Wall was able to secure over 50 percent of the votes in a four-way race for the city’s Ward 6 seat.

Democrats’ message that the government does not have a place in personal healthcare decisions following the fall of Roe v. Wade is both salient and durable. Inflation continues to ease and ongoing infrastructure projects are improving quality of life across the nation. Voters, despite their personal opinion of the president’s age, know that the country is headed in the right direction under this administration’s and local Democrats’ leadership. They are also keenly aware of the chaos and disruption that has been embraced by the new mainstream of the Republican Party.

The next 12 months will see no shortage of tweets, articles, and analyses driving a narrative that Democrats are in trouble. The party must stay the course and continue the work that has delivered victories in the past two years. Both here in Rhode Island and across the nation, Democrats must not allow that narrative to become a distraction.

We know what it takes to win and deliver positive change for Americans. We cannot quit while we are ahead.

Mark LeBeau is a political and communications consultant based in Cranston, RI.