Democrats have been wandering aimlessly in the political wilderness since their crushing defeat in November 2024, desperately searching for answers on how to win back the trust of the American people. But new revelations show just how deep a hole theyâve dug for themselves.
A nonprofit called Democracy Mattersâwhich just so happens to be aligned with the left-wing super PAC American Bridge 21st Centuryâpoured months of time and money into figuring out what went wrong. And what they discovered had to be nothing short of demoralizing for the party of Biden, Harris, and Schumer.
Itâs brutal:
Working-class voters see Democrats as âwoke, weak and out-of-touchâ and six in 10 have a negative view of the party, concluded a frank internal assessment of the hole the party finds itself in. [âŚ.]
American Bridgeâs project focused exclusively on working-class voters, shedding light on a once-core constituency for Democrats thatâs drifted away from the party over the last decade. And the initial feedback is grim: Working-class voters donât see Democrats as strong or patriotic, while Republicans represent safety and strength for them. These voters âcanât name what Democrats stand for, other than being against [Donald] Trump,â according to the report.
The Democratic brand âis suffering,â as working-class voters see the party as âtoo focused on social issues and not nearly focused enough on the economic issues that impact every one, every day,â the report said.
Republicans have been trying to figure out how to woo working-class voters for decades, and thanks to our âworking-classâ billionaire president, Donald Trump, they finally succeeded. And of course, the Democrat crazy has helped:
The report identified two areas of particular weakness for Democrats: transgender rights and immigration. Both topics dominated Republican messaging in 2024, particularly Trumpâs ad that included the tagline, âKamala is for they/them, President Trump is for you.â
What Democracy Matters found was nothing short of devastating for Democrats. Not a single focus group participant brought up âoligarchyâ â the leftâs latest buzzword â or any of the niche progressive talking points the partyâs strategists are obsessed with. Instead, voters are focused on real-world issues like inflation, border security, and crime. And in those areas, Republicans hold a 2-point advantage heading into 2026.
That margin may sound small, but historically, the party out of power already enjoys a built-in advantage during midterms. In other words, Democrats arenât just underwater â theyâre sinking deeper by the week.
This data lines up perfectly with another sobering survey released earlier this week from Welcome, a center-left polling firm, which found that a staggering 70 percent of Americans view the Democratic Party as âout of touchâ with the issues that actually matter. Translation: the party of elites, activists, and bureaucrats has lost the working-class voters it once claimed to champion:
The Democratic Party is perceived as being overly-focused on âProtecting the rights of undocumented immigrantsâ and âProtecting the rights of LGBTQ+ Americansâ â alienating voters who care more about secure borders and crime reduction, a survey released Monday by Welcome, a center-left group, found.
âTo win elections, Democrats need to make the following changes. First, we need to focus more on the issues voters do not think we prioritize enough (the economy, the cost of living, health care, border security, public safety), and focus less on the issues voters think we prioritize too highly (climate change, democracy, abortion, and identity and cultural issues),â read the conclusion of Welcomeâs âDeciding to Winâ survey.
A brutal 60 percent of respondents said Democrats simply donât have the right priorities â and itâs not hard to see why.
Since their humiliating loss in November, what has the Democratic Party been focused on? Not kitchen-table issues like the cost of living, crime, or border security. No â theyâve been off on an âoligarchy tour,â ranting about imaginary boogeymen while ignoring working Americans.
Theyâve spent their time melting down over ICE actually enforcing immigration law, backing a radical socialist for New York City mayor, and standing by a Virginia attorney general candidate who literally fantasized about shooting his political opponents. And letâs not forget â theyâve kept the government shut down while still cashing their own taxpayer-funded paychecks.
Itâs a masterclass in political self-destruction.
