Washington (CNN) The fight for the soul of the Democratic Party is on. In the wake of Hillary Clinton's stunning 2016 loss -- and the resulting complete GOP control of Washington -- the party is in a political desert the likes of which they haven't seen in decades. So, where do they go from here? That conversation is of critical import to how Democrats position themselves vis-a-vis Donald Trump and Republicans in the 2018 midterm elections and who they ultimately choose to be their party's standard-bearer in 2020. In hopes of shedding some light on that running conversation, I'm embarking upon a series of Q&A's with elected officials and party strategists to get their takes on where Democrats should head -- and why.

I kick the series off today with a conversation with Ron Klain , who has been chief of staff to two vice presidents -- Al Gore and Joe Biden -- and also served in the Obama administration as the Ebola czar. (Ron, like me, is also a proud Georgetown Hoya.) My conversation with Ron, conducted via email and lightly edited for flow, is below.

Cillizza: Over the last eight years, Democrats won the White House twice and lost, badly, everywhere else: House, Senate, governors and state legislatures. Why? And what does that contradiction say about the party going forward?

Klain: Some of this is structural -- Republicans consolidating gains in their base areas. Some of it is due to redistricting, which Democrats are launching a major effort to reverse. Some of it is because Republicans invested more in political infrastructure and technology than we did -- and that needs to change.

But some of it is reaction: People voting Republican down ballot, to "provide balance" to a Democratic president. On that last point, the shoe is on the other foot now, and I believe that will be to Democrats' advantage, starting with Virginia and New Jersey later this year. [Editor's note: Both states hold gubernatorial races in November.]

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