And Herrera's diagnosis is also informing how the party moves forward in an election when most of the campaigning and mass events will be virtual.
Politics, that most formal type of contact sport has been reduced to virtuality: Facebook and zoom meetings, and text messaging via whatsapp.
Faber says it has its benefits, and has also given his party time to reflect on how to best connect with voters' real needs in this COVID time:
Jules Vasquez, reporter
"How are you all adjusting what would be called your modalities to engage effectively with voters when you cannot really meet them on that face to face level that you normally would?"
Hon. Patrick Faber, UDP Leader-Elect
"Well, it has been a challenge and I think it is new territory for everybody. So that's at least one good thing. It's not a factor that affects one party and doesn't affect the other. It is across the board that this happens. For us I think we have been in terms of the effects of Covid a little bit more on the unfortunate side than the PUP. At least now 2 of our candidates have tested positive for Covid; one fully recovered. but the other still being affected by this deadly disease."
"As the party leader-elect I have made my rounds to constituencies via zoom and we have very engaging meetings, we strategized, we plan, we energized the machinery of the party and that is done primarily through distance digital devices and in a way it's not what we are use to, but it allows for innovation and it allows for saving time in many instances. It is just a matter of connecting at this time and ensuring that they know that the elections are coming, that I am there for them in terms of their needs in my own constituency I mean and I suppose others do the same to stay connected with the voter and to make sure that we get them out on election day."
"Also there are several colleagues in the party who have made a conscious decision not to spend all this money on paraphernalia for elections and rather if we can find those kinds of monies, there is a movement afoot now to provide on the party's behalf food pantry packages to people. My job is also to make sure that the party plays a role in alleviating some of the conditions that exists with poorer families as a result of Covid and so a few of our colleagues have said we are not going to engage in all of this. T-shirts for instance, we've made a small investment in t-shirts not to the tune that we would normally do and rather than put all that money into all of that we are helping our people with food packages across the country."
