The 2024 election revealed deepening challenges for the Democratic Party as they lost ground with many key demographics. To succeed, they must provide meaningful outreach to younger voters, address the financial insecurity working class voters may have, and restore trust among communities of color. Growing disillusionment among these once reliable blue voters stands out as a critical issue that demands urgent attention. Grappling with economic struggles and cultural alienation, many voters have felt increasingly overlooked by the Democratic Party. To rebuild a broad and sustainable coalition, Democrats must address these concerns head-on and find ways to reconnect with dissatisfied voters.
While it would be reasonable for one to assume that the vast majority of youth voters would lean Democrat, President Donald Trump improved his margin in this demographic by 19 percentage points this election cycle compared to 2020. This large shift among youth voters can likely be attributed to the way each candidate campaigned.
Trump appeared on many alternative media platforms, such as Lex Fridman’s podcast, The Nelk Boys, “IMPAULSIVE” with Logan Paul, and “This Past Weekend” with Theo Von. Between their party nominations and mid-October, Trump appeared on a total of seven podcasts while former Vice President Kamala Harris only appeared on two.
These content creators have a sizable young adult audience. Days before the election, Trump appeared on the king of all platforms: “The Joe Rogan Experience.” It is the most listened-to podcast in America, with 56% of its audience between the ages of 18 and 34. Trump’s larger presence in independent media helped propel him to victory. With each passing year, Generation Z voters will represent a greater proportion of the electorate. It is imperative that Democrats work hard to regain the ground they lost among the youth.
Another group of Americans that the Democrats lost substantial ground with was blue-collar voters. This shift may feel contrary to conventional wisdom of American politics. Typically, the Republican Party has been seen as the party of wealthy elites — a party for country club members who want tax cuts; this new era, however, tells a different story.
In the 2020 election, former President Joe Biden had a 13-percentage point advantage over Trump among voters with an annual income of less than $100,000. In 2024, this turned into a 4-point deficit for Harris. While the Biden-Harris administration had made strides with measures such as the Chips and Science Act along with infrastructure investments, the messaging failed to reach mainstream American audiences in a way that had a tangible impact on their daily lives. This disconnect highlights a broader issue with the Democratic strategy: the inability to translate policy accomplishments into relatable, everyday benefits that resonate with voters.
The seismic swing among working Americans can be attributed to a misreading of the electorate and a significant messaging error during the campaign. After the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade, the Democratic Party heavily emphasized protecting women’s reproductive rights, with pro-abortion advertisements increasing from 3% to 28% post-Dobbs. This focus seemed justified, as every statewide referendum on abortion from 2022-23 resulted in pro-choice victories, signaling broad voter support.
However, the 2024 election results reveal that tying the party’s platform primarily to abortion access isn’t enough to secure a victory. Many states, including battlegrounds like Nevada and Arizona, saw over 60% of voters in support of abortion rights while still having a majority vote for Trump. Even in conservative states like Missouri, Montana, and Florida, voters supported abortion rights despite favoring Trump. While the Democratic Party should remain pro-choice, these results indicate that abortion alone is insufficient as a wedge issue. To regain blue-collar support, Democrats must prioritize championing their labor milestones.
The most striking voter blocs to drift away from the Democratic party are people of color. Asian Americans and African Americans made incremental shifts toward the Republican party, and Hispanic voters made seismic shifts away from the Democrats. This is best exemplified in Starr County, Texas, where 97% of the population is Latino. The county’s electorate swung dramatically from -60 points against Trump in 2016, to -5 points in 2020, to +16 percent in 2024. The loss of support among minorities for Democrats teaches them a very important lesson: Demographics are not destiny. While it may be true that Republicans have less polished platforms and more incendiary rhetoric against communities of color, voters care more about how the party’s policies will improve their lives.
Most importantly, when communities feel that a governing party has failed to address their concerns, or worse, has contributed to their struggles, they are more likely to turn away. This will occur regardless of the opposition’s rhetoric. Trump’s inflammatory comments, such as calling migrants at the southern border “vermin,” who are “poisoning the blood of this country,” are deeply unethical and troubling. However, relying solely on a moral contrast with Republicans is not an effective strategy. The Democratic Party must go beyond criticizing opponents and clearly demonstrate how its policies will improve the quality of life for the communities it serves. Without tangible evidence of progress or a clear path toward it, perceived neglect can overshadow the harmful language of the opposition, resulting in an electoral backlash.
Dearborn, a city in Michigan with a majority Arab American population, demonstrates this point perfectly. The city is represented in the House of Representatives by Rep. Rashida Tlaib, a staunchly liberal Democrat and member of the progressive group in the House of Representatives known as “The Squad.” Yet, in the 2024 election, the majority of voters in Dearborn voted for both Tlaib and Trump. These astonishing circumstances were directly caused by the disastrous war in Gaza facilitated by the Biden-Harris administration. Even though it is confirmed that tens of thousands of Palestinians have been killed in Gaza, Harris explained that she would remain “unwavering“ in her support to continue facilitating weapons transfers to Israel if she won. The chaos and destruction in Gaza left many Arab and Muslim voters disgusted with American politics as a whole. To make matters worse, the Harris campaign touted and embraced an endorsement from Dick Cheney. The former vice president under George W. Bush was known for being the architect of the Iraq War, which resulted in hundreds of thousands of fatalities.
While Trump has spouted phrases in the past such as “Islam hates us,” a large segment of the Arab population of Dearborn showed that they did not care. These left-leaning voters still cast their vote for Trump as a middle finger to the Democratic Party. If Democrats want to win these voters back, they cannot rely on the “we are anti-Trump” messaging in future elections. They must move beyond reactive strategies and focus on addressing the genuine frustrations and concerns of each community.
The 2024 election highlighted a much needed urgency for Democrats to rethink how they can connect with a rapidly-changing electorate. To remain competitive, they must prioritize meaningful engagement with younger voters, address the systemic economic struggles of the working class, and rebuild confidence among communities of color through policies that make a real difference. A single-issue focus or reliance on the opposition’s flaws is not enough to garner support from a diverse coalition. Instead, the party must demonstrate a broader vision that meets people where they are.
Liberals need to move beyond symbolic gestures and deliver policies that tangibly improve lives while communicating these successes effectively to the electorate. Rebuilding trust and winning back disillusioned voters will require showing not just what they stand against, but also what they stand for.
