Democratic voters are rejecting the party’s attempt to rebrand as anti-woke, instead favoring candidates who say they wish to “fight” for progressive ideals on behalf of everyone, according to a new survey.
The Blueprint strategy group, which seeks to inform Democratic candidates on how best to represent their voters’ ideals, shows fighting language performing well among Democrats and independents, whereas an attack on “performative woke politics” fails to capture both demographics.
“What we see at the bottom of the list is relitigating old fights, complaining about the party’s misfortunes, and elected officials trying to sound like strategists — and no voter is interested in any of that right now,” pollster Evan Roth Smith told the Washington Examiner.
In contrast, he said, candidates resonate better with voters if they “talk from the heart and deliver that message directly.”
Former Democratic Texas Rep. Beto O’Rourke had the best-performing message among overall voters in the survey when he opposed President Donald Trump‘s push to redraw Texas’s congressional map through redistricting last year.
“Imagine a Democratic Party that fights — really fights — for all of us. No rolling over, no bending over, no big money and corporate politics,” O’Rourke said. “A message defined by people in every state, not consultants and posters. No matter who you are, we’re here to listen, learn, and work with you.”
Meanwhile, political consultant James Carville had the worst-performing message among Democrats.
“Performative woke politics stained the Democratic brand. ‘Latinx,’ ‘BIPOC,’ and ‘defund the police’ were terrible,” Carville said. “Many Americans think Democrats are out of touch and focused on social issues. We can’t be morally absolutist. Democrats must pivot to economic rage.”
The shift in messaging comes just in time for the midterm elections, which Democratic candidates across the country aim to win on the affordability issue.
This year’s election cycle is different from the 2024 election in that economic concerns are top of mind for voters instead of cultural battles, as was the case two years ago.
Trump won the election partly due to his ads targeting former Vice President Kamala Harris‘s transgender policies with a memorable phrase: “Kamala is for they/them. Trump is for you.” It was one of Trump’s most effective attack ads, shifting the race by 2.7 points in his favor.
Now, Trump and Republicans are trying to refocus their attention on practical matters, such as living costs and inflation.
Smith argued that economic concerns are where the battle for this year’s elections lies.
Voters “do not want to hear cultural fights, whether it’s about foreign policy issues or wokeness and social issues. They’re just not interested,” he said. “They’re interested in, ‘What are you going to do? What are you going to do for me and my bills?’”
Language about maintaining affordability and expanding the social safety net polls especially well among Democrats.
“The Democratic Party needs to be laser-focused on making life affordable. We should rethink our social safety net,” Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY) opined. “What if we expand Medicare, lower the age, or let everyone buy in? People need to see an ambitious vision to get the party back to where it needs to be.”
Ocasio-Cortez also called out “oligarchy” during a series of political rallies led by Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT), but her remarks did not attract as many Democrats as her previous statement, according to Blueprint’s analysis.
“Democrats need to start calling out oligarchy as the problem,” she said. “Americans see the extreme concentration of wealth and know it’s untenable. The issue isn’t that Americans don’t understand oligarchy — it’s that people in power are uncomfortable with how clearly Americans do see it.”
Calling out corporate entities and concentration of power as enemies also appears to be a winning strategy for Democrats in their messaging tactics.
“Democrats must make the fight to restore the American Dream the heart of our party. The Dream isn’t real for many; it’s been ripped away by corporations and concentrated power,” Rep. Chris Deluzio (D-PA) said. “We can’t have business as usual while Americans struggle with rising costs. Work hard and play by the rules, then the American Dream is yours.”
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Smith offered advice on how Democratic candidates can best capture voters’ hearts and minds.
“Be clear about what you’re fighting for,” he said. “Name the people you think are standing in the way, and anchor that fight to clear economic priorities around the American Dream and cost of living and people’s individual futures. And stay away from too much rhetoric. Stay away from relitigating fights around wokeness, and elected officials themselves need to avoid sounding like strategists.”