It has been over a year since President Joe Biden made one of the hardest decisions in political history and announced that he would not seek re-election. Since that day, and the day thatVice PresidentHarrisslostin November, the Democratic Party has been in a full-blown identity crisis.We started a full-blown autopsy, we started looking for new messages, new leaders, new formats, and new language.We are investing millions to "study" how to connect with male voters.The holy grail is "authenticity," which means speak like a normal human. (That includescurse words, which bodes well for this New Yorkerswearing isour native tongue.)We are listening to anyone who says they have thesecret formula.That is why,when Zohran Mamdani energized young voters in NYC, everyone, especially the media, turned their attention to him. He capitalized on anger and frustration with inaction in Washington, connected with voters' concerns about affordability, andusedsocial mediamasterfully, running rings around his older, squarer opponents. He was hip, and he was "real."But all the hyperventilating is premature. Mamdani won a multi-candidate Democratic primary in a deep blue city, held on a 100-degree day in June. He received less than 600,000 votesin a city of over 8 million. So, lets not let social media tell us that he is the future of the Democratic Party. Im a NYC Democrat and I dont remember anyone outside of the five boroughs caring what Mayor Bloomberg, DiBlasio, or Adams did on the national level.KAMALA HARRIS DECISION NOT TO RUN IN 2026 OPENS DOOR TO POSSIBLE SECOND PRESIDENTIAL RUN IN 2028If you are a Democrat running anywhere outside of the blue bubble cities, and especially if youre trying to flip a seat from red to blue, you cast your gaze across the Hudson and south for the blueprint you need.Hop on Amtrak and disembark inTrenton, New Jersey or Richmond,Virginia, andthe answerwill beright in frontof you.What you will see are two candidates who have national security credentials that would let Democrats win back the patriotic and military voters because they can walk the walk, not just talk it like Republicans have in the past. What you will see are candidates that have proven bipartisan track records in Congress of getting shit done.These two candidates are Mikie Sherill and Abigail Spanberger.They are real andauthentic.They are what would be created if liberals and moderates, swing voters and suburban moms, young men and military hawks, andvalues-based, pragmatic Democrats with national appeal all gave their input toChatGPT.These are two women Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., could campaign with, and Sen. Joe Manchin, my former boss, could work with.To quote Mr Mamdani, we should learn how to say their names because we have to get it right.DEMOCRATS ARE STILL LOST BUT ONE YEAR AFTER BIDEN'S EXIT, THEY'RE STARTING TO FOLLOW A RIVAL'S ROADMAPSo why arent they being elevated as the future or blueprint for success?Dont tell me its because they havent won their general elections yet. That has never stopped us before. Im old enough to remember Howard Dean and Beto ORourke being crowned as saviors of the left before they won anything. Ive read"Whats the Matter with Kansas?"Im familiar with the Abundance movement. Im not knocking any of them. But lets be honest: weve gone looking for answers in far less proven places.Maybe its gender. Maybe we have a harder time seeing two tough, competent, patriotic women as the leaders who could rebuild our Partys coalition. If you look at their records and accomplishments, theyve walked the walk, many of their male colleagues just talk about.Theyre not fantasy candidates. Theyre not focus-group fabrications. Theyre real leaders with real records, with national security credentials, bipartisan chops, and electoral success in places that arent easy for Democrats. They appeal to swing voters, military families, independents, union members, and suburban moderatesall the people we keep saying we need to win back.And they did it without changing who they are, bending to the winds of polling or message-tested language. They did it by being who they have been since they were first elected in 2018.CLICK HERE FOR MORE FOX NEWS OPINIONAbigail is a former CIA undercover agent who prevented terrorist attacks and tracked transnational gangs and was also a Postal Inspection Officer who investigated child predators and narcotics traffickers. In Congress, she passed bipartisan legislation to prevent fentanyl overdoses, allowed Medicare to negotiate lower drug prices, and put more cops on the streets of local cities.Mikie served 10 yearsas a Naval helicopter pilot and led missions throughout Europe and the Middle East. She was a Russian policy officer aiding in the implementation of our nuclear treaty obligations and oversaw the relationship between the U.S. Navy and Russian Federation Navy.After that, she joined the U.S. Attorneys Office to help people leaving prison gain employment, housing, and education to restart their lives, and then as an Assistant U.S. Attorney, she prosecuted federal cases to keep illegal guns off our streets.In Congress, she was influential in helping pass the most significant investment in roads, bridges, and transportation in 50 years, as well as the bill that brought manufacturing companies and investments back from China to the U.S.These arent exactly the career paths of career politicians. These are values-based, pragmatic Democrats with national appealpeople Elizabeth Warren could campaign with, and Joe Manchin could work with. They arent yelling into the void or stoking culture wars. They arent on cable news every night and social media all day.They are solving problems that matter to working families, and theyve got the records to prove it. And somehow, theyve done all that without needing to shout about it to the media.So, instead of searching for new slogans, influencers, or magic polling words, maybe its time to look up from our phones and social media platforms and see whats right in front of us.