Harvard University’s celebrated pollster John Della Volpe has a message for the new leader of the Democratic Party: Move fast with proven solutions for voters who are hurting, or the party is doomed.
“Millions of Americans aren’t shifting right — they’re walking away. They’re abandoning a Democratic Party and democratic system they believe abandoned them first. This isn’t realignment — it’s abandonment,” the pollster known for his surveys of the youth vote said.
In a memo to the incoming leader of the Democratic National Committee posted on his Substack, “JDV on Gen Z,” Della Volpe was blunt in his assessment of the nation and 2024 election. The bottom line for the Democrats, he said, is that it needs a massive reinvention and focus on kitchen-table issues and less on wokeness.
“This post-election analysis should not start with the question about moving left or right. It must begin by filling the vacuum of unaddressed daily struggles before it gets filled with something else. The typical response will be to fill that vacuum with new policies, messages, or words. But that’s precisely backward. Before we can talk about solutions, we need to rebuild trust. Before we can restore trust, we need to listen. Really listen,” he wrote.
Democrats: It’s not about moving left or right. It’s about moving closer to the people.
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My ideas to win back trust: https://t.co/GdfSANt3cp pic.twitter.com/CTybjioAwc
— John Della Volpe (@dellavolpe) November 22, 2024
Della Volpe, who is the Harvard Kennedy School Institute of Politics’s polling director, highlighted three areas where he believes a new party leader can start the revival and reconnection with blue-collar America.
First, he said, institutionalize listening to voters. He suggested creating “Community Solutions Centers where local leaders, young organizers, and experienced politicians come together to shape solutions. These aren’t just places to air grievances; they’re workshops for democracy where frustration is transformed into action.”
Second, don’t just talk but do. He suggested highlighting programs from Democrats throughout the country that are working to expand healthcare and the economy to locals. “The Democratic Party needs a new infrastructure to make progress visible and connect local wins to national priorities,” Della Volpe said.
And third, get out of Washington and make connections with America. “The most vital voices for democracy aren’t in D.C. — they’re in our neighborhoods. These are the local leaders who know their communities’ needs because they live them every day.”
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He concluded that “the choice isn’t about moving left or right — it’s about moving closer to the real struggles people face every day. Millions of Americans haven’t changed their values — they’ve lost faith that Democratic Party and our institutions can deliver on those values. By putting community voices at the center, delivering visible progress, and building lasting relationships, the Democratic Party can demonstrate that abandonment isn’t inevitable — that democracy can still work for everyone, not just during elections, but every day.”
The party is expected to vote for a new chairman in January. So far, several older voices in the party are planning to run.