You know it’s not going well when the Democratic Party cites President Donald Trump and voter activist Charlie Kirk as winning models.
But that’s what’s in the new “Speaking with American Men” (SAM) report the party is pushing in its bid to recover from former Vice President Kamala Harris’s costly and embarrassing loss to Trump and the abandonment of young men from the Democrats.
Harvard University’s Institute of Politics scholar and pollster John Della Volpe released the details from SAM’s latest research on Wednesday in announcing plans to answer the anxieties of young male voters.
The effort is part of a much-mocked $20 million party after action report on the 2024 election.
For the report, the SAM team interviewed young males around the country and found a “masculinity crisis,” especially for the Democrats. “They feel utterly misunderstood and abandoned by nearly every institution, including the Democratic Party,” Della Volpe wrote in his Substack JDV on Gen Z.
The portrayal of young men is not pretty. They are described as confused on their identity, bullied by women and society who want to see vulnerabilities but mock the men when they display it, and unable to grab the American dream.
They also don’t see a leader in the Democratic Party that offers them hope like the Republican Party has offered in Trump and Kirk.
Kirk, the Trump supporter who co-founded and is CEO of Turning Point USA, is cited in the report as somebody young men look up to.
“To many young men, the differences between parties aren’t ideological — they’re emotional and aesthetic. Republicans are seen as confident, direct, and unafraid to offend,” Della Volpe’s write-up said.
“Charlie Kirk, for example, is lauded for showing up to what is perceived as hostile environments and unafraid to take questions from anyone. Democrats, in contrast, come off as elite, scripted, cautious, and uncertain of themselves,” it added.
“‘Democrats tend to embrace more of, like, the fluid masculinity of being, like, empathetic and sensitive,’ said a young Asian American professional. ‘Republicans are more like, the traditional masculinity of a provider, strong, and the machismo type,’” the report said.
It also addressed why young male voters gravitated to Trump, who often campaigned with macho online influencers such as Joe Rogan.
“Young men increasingly chose Donald Trump — not because they embraced his rhetoric, but because he promised to tear down a system they believe has betrayed them. When every major institution feels rigged against their success, disruption becomes more appealing than preservation. They’re choosing someone who promises to dismantle what they see as a rigged game,” the report said.
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The report, in suggesting that the Democrats have a lot to do to win back young male voters, also indicated that the GOP is in good shape to keep them.
“The party, or movement, that learns to speak authentically to the reality of young men, acknowledges their pain without judgment, and offers them a meaningful role in building solutions will earn not just their votes, but potentially their sustained support. Conversely, continued neglect will cause further political fragmentation and greater willingness to embrace anti-establishment approaches that may undermine democratic norms,” it said.