Sen. Bernie Sanders, the independent who has represented Vermont since 2007 and has twice run for the Democratic presidential nomination, offered a frank diagnosis of Democratic electoral failure on Tuesday.

“A Democratic Party that has failed the working class would find that the working class has failed them,” Sanders said in a statement. “First it was the white working class, now it’s also Latinos and black workers. While the Democratic leadership defends the status quo, the American people are angry and want change. And they’re right.”

Exit polls showed historic numbers of black and Latino men voted for the Republican candidate, President-elect Donald Trump.

While 74% of black male voters voted for Harris on Tuesday, Trump was estimated to win 24% of the electorate AP Vote. In comparison, data published by Pew Research After the 2020 election showed that Trump only won about 8% of Black male voters in the last election.

A CNN exit poll reported that Trump won up to 42% of Latino voters – the most successful Republican performance in that demographic since George W. Bush won about 44% of Hispanic voters in 2004 Pew Research Data.

Sanders noted that Tuesday’s working-class vote was likely influenced by major economic factors, including stagnant wages due to inflation, the threat of automation from AI and robotics, and high costs of health care and prescription drugs. He also accused the party leadership of failing to listen to voters who were concerned about Israel’s ongoing war in Gaza cost Harris votes in crucial swing states like Michigan.

“While the super-rich are doing phenomenally well today, 60% of Americans live paycheck to paycheck,” Sanders said. According to a CNBC poll According to a study released earlier this year, over 65% of respondents said they would be living paycheck to paycheck in 2023 Bank of America Institute Last month, at least a quarter of American households reported spending the majority of their paychecks each month.

The Vermont senator suggested the Democratic Party would “probably not” learn lessons about winning back support from working-class voters going forward, but also appeared to hint at his own future plans.

“In the coming weeks and months, those of us who are concerned about grassroots democracy and economic justice will need to have some very serious political discussions,” he wrote. “Hold on.”