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Data journalist Patrick Flynn, of Focaldata, highlighted this in a recent social media post, saying, “The Trump coalition was closer to Obama 2008 than the Harris one.” The increasing alignment of low-income voters with the Republican Party indicates an ideological and cultural divide in voter priorities, and it signals the Democratic Party’s struggle to retain its traditional working-class base.
In another notable shift, Harris’s campaign performed worse than Joe Biden’s among working-class voters. According to NBC, Democrats saw a 4-point drop in support among voters making under $30,000 a year, dropping from Biden’s 54 percent to 50 percent for Harris. Among those earning between $30,000 and $50,000, Democratic support fell by 11 points, from 56 percent to 45 percent. For incomes between $50,000 and $100,000, support similarly declined by 11 points, from 57 percent to 46 percent. This drop has raised alarms within Democratic ranks, as concerns grow about losing the working-class support that has historically been central to the party’s coalition.
Following Harris’s defeat, senior Democratic figures expressed concerns over the party’s fading appeal to working-class Americans. Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders voiced strong criticism, saying, “It should come as no great surprise that a Democratic Party which has abandoned working class people would find that the working class has abandoned them.” Sanders noted that initially, the Democratic Party lost much of the white working-class vote, but now they are also losing support among Latino and Black workers, who have been key to Democratic victories in the past.
The Democratic Party’s failure to connect with working-class Americans, Sanders argued, stems from its defense of the “status quo” and neglect of the economic hardships many Americans face. “Will the big money interests and well-paid consultants who control the Democratic Party learn any real lessons from this disastrous campaign?” he asked.
David Axelrod, a former adviser to Obama, highlighted this issue, saying the Democratic Party “has become a metropolitan, college-educated party.” Axelrod suggested that the Democrats’ approach to working-class voters can feel condescending, giving voters the impression that they must “become more like us,” which Trump has skillfully used to his advantage.
Patrick Flynn echoed this, arguing that the Democrats made a strategic mistake by focusing on moderate Republicans rather than the large working-class base. “At the moment, it seems like the party is more focused on winning over this emblematic figure of the moderate Republican… In reality, there are not many of those people outside of Washington and the donor class.” Flynn noted that Democrats previously made this mistake under Hillary Clinton in 2016 and appear to have repeated it this year.
In states across the U.S., college graduates remain in the minority, with only Massachusetts having more college-educated voters than those without a degree. While only around 40 percent of the population holds a college degree, college graduates control approximately three-quarters of the country’s wealth, according to Federal Reserve data. Flynn argues that Democrats have failed to address the growing wealth divide, which has left many voters feeling left behind and disconnected from the party’s platform.
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On economic issues, the Harris campaign struggled to alleviate voters’ concerns over inflation and cost of living. Flynn noted, “The Harris campaign failed to assuage voters’ concerns around the cost of living, and most Americans thought the economy was better under Trump’s first presidency.” Harris’s statement that she wouldn’t change much from the Biden administration failed to reassure voters that the Democrats could bring economic relief.
Many Democrats now believe that, to regain working-class support, the party must reframe its message to speak to voters who feel disenfranchised by elite institutions. Flynn suggested the Democratic Party should adopt a more populist approach, saying, “That means recruiting more consultants, speechwriters and candidates who have come from lower-income backgrounds.” He added that Democrats must address “Trump’s stylistic appeal to certain groups” to regain lost ground and win back America’s working class.
