Inside progressive circles, the same debate has been dragging on all year. In the aftermath of the pounding Hillary Clinton took in the industrial heartland, many pundits argue that Democrats need to refocus our message to appeal more to the white working class. Others say those voters are never coming back, so we are better off shoring up support with the growing majority of minorities and millennials.

In other words, we are eight months into the Trump Era, and Democrats are still floundering about and fighting over the last election, when we should be focusing on how we win in 2018 — and beyond. If Democrats don’t get smart, 2018 will look a lot like 2016 — and we will see a rise in Trump sympathizers in the U.S. Congress and in state houses across the nation.

Fortunately, at least one 2018 candidate seems to have found a way out of the dead end. Seeking the Democratic nomination for governor of Maryland, former NAACP president (and my good friend) Ben Jealous has figured out that the whole “white working class v. people of color” debate presents progressives with a false choice — and he is slicing through the Gordian knot.

Nobody is surprised when Jealous electrifies black audiences, young or old. Given his civil rights pedigree, that sort of thing is perhaps to be expected. What is stunning political observers on both sides of the aisle, however, is that he is proving to be equally effective in connecting with white voters. Jealous is drawing such a strong response from white Marylanders — whether they be rural residents or union members in urban areas — that Republicans are already targeting him, more than a year before the general election.

The Republicans have good reason to be worried. Ben’s brand of leadership is exactly right for our current political environment. He is a community organizer who has specialized in building broad diverse movements for change. He was one of Bernie Sanders’ most effective and eloquent supporters. He is a strong progressive who knows how to reach beyond race, class and gender.

In 2013, as the youngest ever President and CEO of the NAACP, Ben was named Marylander of the Year because of the role he played in leading the effort to abolish the death penalty, helping to pass marriage equality, chairing the effort to pass the DREAM Act, and expanding voting rights in the state. On the national level, he played a key role in helping to pass almost every landmark piece of legislation during President Obama’s first term in office, despite Republican obstruction.

At the same time, Ben has worked with Republican governors to help end mass incarceration and expand civil rights.

His work to register almost 400,000 voters and mobilize over a million new voters in 2012 led me to label him as an unsung hero of President Obama’s re-election. And his life as a civil rights leader and work as a surrogate for Senator Bernie Sanders’ campaign this past election cycle have endeared him to people of color, progressives, and millennials. As a tech investor, Ben also knows how to build bridges between progressive ideals and business interests.

This has to be the future of our party: leaders who can build diverse coalitions and allow big visions for our country to be guided by an experienced and knowledgeable hand.

Our party would be smart to look to leaders like Ben, progressives who aren’t afraid to be progressives — but who understand that change comes when we broaden our support across race and class, instead of shrinking in favor of one over the other.

My hope is that Ben Jealous’ campaign represents the start of a trend.

After all, working class people have many challenges in common — across lines of color, gender and party affiliation. Nobody who is willing to work hard should be barred from the basic tenets of the American Dream. Nobody should go thousands of dollars into debt due to an unforeseen medical emergency. Nobody should be forced to send their kids to poorly-funded schools that don’t prepare them for good jobs or college. Nobody should be forced tens of thousands of dollars into debt to get into college — or to get out on bail, while awaiting trial on a minor offense. And they certainly shouldn’t find themselves unable to pay for basic needs like housing, food, and water because they aren’t paid a decent wage.

We deserve an economy and a government that ensures that people who work hard aren’t barred from accessing a fair quality of life — no matter your race, gender, socioeconomic background or any other identity that we’re being asked to choose between.

While Republicans continue to apologize for the Trump presidency, Democrats must rally around these common sense appeals. We must be unafraid to take our message to every corner of society that is hurting. It’s time we reject the notion that our party can’t attract working class white voters while also deepening our support among millennials and communities of color.

It can be done. If you don’t believe, me — just watch Ben Jealous.