Re “Democrats lay big plans for hoped-for power shift’’ (Page A1, May 20): I recently retired and moved from Needham to Pittsburgh. While Massachusetts has been steadfast in its support of the Democrats, that is not the case throughout the United States. The Democrats, especially nationally, must craft and sell a message. They must be very careful not to fall into the trap of counting their chickens before they hatch.

Many of the elections that seem to suggest a shift in support of the Democratic candidates are local. These local elections are important, but they do not necessarily indicate national success. In Pittsburgh, we nominated Democrats who are very much left of the national leadership, yet the national leadership has yet to embrace the issues that helped these candidates win election.

Pointing out all of the failings exhibited by Donald Trump and the Republican leadership is not going to win elections. Carefully articulating the specific improvements Democratic candidates will bring to the lives of Americans will win the election.

The Democratic leadership must reexamine their structure and priorities if they want those chickens to hatch. They must represent something more than investigations.

Marilyn R. Stern

Pittsburgh