The Democratic Party Faces a Voter Registration Crisis

OP we don't link to NYT articles without using archive dear. No paywalls here. You want your reader to engage from the start.

I'll do what OP should have done and give a gift article link since I'm a subscriber. Enjoy

R1 It’s free to read right now. But in case it goes behind a paywall…

[quote]I am a reliable democratic voter but the orthodoxy and shutting down of dialogue around complex issues like gender identity or immigration makes me reluctant to get involved with party organizations. Until the democrats can build a bigger tent and quit alienating people who aren’t in lockstep on every social issue, they’re going to have problems.

Most upvoted comment. Pretty much what we hear from many DLers as well.

Young men and Latinos are registering as Republicans. Latinos in particular are going Republican. So mass voter registration focused on registering younger people and Latinos is backfiring on Dems. Latinx is the gift that goes on giving.

The Democratic Party is really in a lot of trouble. I can’t even imagine how to stop the free fall.

And yet Dems have been doing well in special elections even in very Red districts. Also, the data don't reflect the Trump presidency.

Democrats plan to change their messaging and focus on online spaces like podcasts to win back younger male voters.

[quote]Latinos in particular are going Republican.

Good. Deport them all.

Democratic leadership over the past decade has made the entire focus of the Party about black women and trannies. Those groups make up about 8% of the population. It’s not hard to see how they’re unable to win elections.

Some of the big switch to Repubs was during the Biden Presidency. Dems can’t rely on Trump to change that. The party is on the wrong side of too many issues to reverse the decline. All those years of identity politics have really backfired.

Oh, this thread is like a pile of shit for our usual troll flies.

The shameless NYTm ( New York Trump’s money ) should be discussing why Texas is such a permanent red state despite having considerably more registered Democrat than republicans instead of promoting this pathetic conservative propaganda.

*Democrats (or democrat voters)

[quote]Some of the big switch to Repubs was during the Biden Presidency.

Biden should have never been the nominee. He was the choice of black women in South Carolina.

What’s your Bluesky handle, R12?

R7 they're kidding themselves. they will do anything but embrace the wing of the party that has a popular policy platform. the left wing of the party is already killing it in the podcast space. progressive shows are extremely popular on youtube - kyle kulinski, hasan, sam seder. there are already even centrist libs with a huge online presence like destiny and david pakman. the dnc launched a really pathetic video podcast on the democratic partys youtube. they got some no charisma flaming homo and white girl acting like when the teachers and counselors at school put on an anti-drug assembly and try to use the newest slang. the democrats are retarded. they don't know how to do anything but suck off donors.

[quote] Latinx

This word is not a thing. Please dispose of it.

r16 what i mean is they already have several open lanes into this "joe rogan" space they're talking about - but they're not sincere, what they mean is they believe they can popularize the third way abundance message specifically and nothing else. they're not interested in embracing or serving the base in any way.

All this nonsense noise. NOBODY LIKES TRUMP. NOBODY LIKES MAGA PLATFORM. Don't be fooled by anyone who says there is a groundswell of support. It's a lie.

Do voters even matter anymore? Republicans are gaming the elections we do have, Stephen Miller and the Heritage Foundation are calling all the shots, the Supreme Court and Congress won’t stand up to Trump, and there are three years to go. And podcasts are going to change this?

What R19 said. I know we all live in echo chambers but this just doesn't make sense. I think the level of "rigging things," between the totally compromised corporate media, widely infiltrated and bot-driven social media, and the totality of MAGAworld have reached unfathomable levels at this point. All of the internet feels like a Potemkin village now. Nothing jibes or lines up. It's two realities, the one we live through and the one we're lied to about.

[quote] the data don't reflect the Trump presidency

If this is the case—and evidently the data only cover 2020-24—why are they even relevant now? Polls this year consistently show Trump hemorrhaging support among young men and Latinos, and registrations in 2025 would logically reflect that. That would seem more newsworthy than what the data show for the Biden presidency. Maybe not to the NYT, though.

There's a lot of blame to go around.

r9 is a typical Trumper. Holding dear to your bigotries and ignorance, and having Trump encourage them, thrive from them, means more to you than Trump shitting on the US Constitution and that he's a convicted criminal.

The Democrats shot themselves in both feet a long time ago.

Back in the early 90s, right after Clinton defeated George HW Bush, seasoned Democratic operatives whose beat was oppo research (and now they're probably long dead) warned that Republicans were doing the drudgery of conditioning their voters to vote in local elections so they could get state majorities where the real power is-gerrymandering their districts so majorities in national house AND the federal judiciary could eventually be realized.

Meanwhile, starry-eyed Democrats fell in love with their national candidates and didn't bother to notice, or care what Republicans were up to locally.

In short, Republicans have been playing the long game for a very long time. And they don't bother with overestimating voters.

Ya want facts-free ridicule, cruelty, and just making shit up to score political points? Ya want us to feed you, and you'll swallow emotional and financial blackmail like "Not giving corporations and wealthy tax breaks and deregulation will COST jobs!" and you'll believe that?

Democrats have always given voters too much credit. Republicans never make that mistake. Call it a variation of what Clinton so accurately observed. - "Americans prefer Wrong and Strong over Weak and Right."

The Mariana Trench couldn't contain my loathing and disgust of Donald Trump and Americans who place such low value on being American that they'd cast a vote for him.

But basic honesty requires me to note it - He's pulled off the Greatest Con in modern history and doing it right before our eyes and with tacit and overt permission.

[quote] All this nonsense noise. NOBODY LIKES TRUMP. NOBODY LIKES MAGA PLATFORM.

Isn’t that what people said in 2023-2024? Putting one’s head in the sand doesn’t win elections.

This is on Biden and the Bidenists.

The problem is Charlie Kirk was mainstreamed and has a direct line to Trump. As does Candace Owens. They talk about it all the time. They both have a huge following among young people and young men.

Michael Moore used to say “young people will save us”

Now, young people will actually destroy us.

From the article:

=====

That worry of falling behind is something many men are wrestling with, according to a recent report by the Speaking with American Men (SAM) project, a new effort aimed at helping Democrats better reach and connect with young men.

"The traditional milestones seem impossible to achieve," said Democratic pollster and youth politics expert John Della Volpe, who co-founded the project.

The report's findings are based on a national survey and focus groups with men ages 18 to 29. Among its biggest findings is that concerns around mental health and worries about paying for things like housing and health care remain paramount for the group.

"Young men feel trapped," Della Volpe said. "They have been raised and want to provide for others … but are unable to achieve that for themselves."

======

Surely there's some truth to this. Not just young men but some young women as well. Bernie Sanders is in his 80s and not the most persuasive messenger for everything he campaigned about in 2016... but he wasn't wrong. And he was winning the hearts and minds of quite a few of these voters. We need to get back to that. Again, not Bernie himself but so much of what he was saying. Look at the slow rise in median household income over the past 50 years, when you chart it against the more rapid rise in median residential-home cost or median college tuition cost or median out-of-pocket health care costs, etc. Everybody knows these things and feels them to be true. It is especially top of mind for younger voters and male voters. We need warrior candidates who will point the blame where most of it belongs. Over and over and over. Trump has gained power and maintained it by attacking and blaming the Democrats for everything, over and over and over, 24/7. Unfortunately this moment calls for the antithesis of "they go low, we go high." It needs to be "they punch hard, we punch harder."

The article totally avoids Gaza. If there's a reason new voters and younger voters are souring on Democrats, maybe it's the sight of a Democratic president financially supporting a war crime. And to make the whole thing perfect, it's not like the Israelis are appreciative of the political risk - they are flat out Republican partisans.

Of course anything written in the NYT is false news. Just continue drinking the Koolaid and keep pretending Kamala ran a magnificent campaign. There is no switch to the Republicans. Everything is going great for Dems.

R29 we all see your trolling. No one is falling for it or your strawman bullshit. Slither back to Truth Social now, you have no power here.

[quote]latinos in particular are going Republican.

That's working well for them now, isn't it? Being hauled off to a gulag, family members being kidnapped, their kids snatched on the way to school.....they may not go republican again.

Latinos, including those who voted for Trump, are turning against Republicans. But they, like just about everyone, don’t think Democrats are or will do anything.

R31 You realize that not all Latinos are recent migrants who entered the country illegally, right?

A great many are proud Americans whose ancestors were here generations before any Anglos showed up. They tend to be extremely patriotic, socially conservative and family-oriented. Many are current or former military service members.

[quote]All those years of identity politics have really backfired.

You see in this thread alone that that's not really the fault of the Dem leadership – embubbled Dem voters seem to yearn for even more of that and apparently think doubling down on it is the only proper response to Trump. Anything else will get you labelled a MAGA troll.

And there's the other, QAnon-like contingent (see r19) that believes the election was rigged and no American ever could support Trump's platform. They live in an America that died about twenty years ago and they refuse to open their eyes to the new grim reality.

Between those two groups, the Dem party is completely fucked going forward.

R33, why would a "family oriented" person support a rapist who is best friends with Jeffrey Epstein?

R28, is there any 2025 data suggesting that Gaza is tilting younger voters away from the Democrats (which would make no sense) today, now, in 2025?

If we're talking about the 2024 election as a standalone topic, sure -- but there is no rationale for Israel/Gaza causing a voter slide toward Trump who is even less pro-Palestinian than Biden was.

The data in the article is from 2020-2024. So I'd say that Gaza is quite relevant to younger voters' attitudes.

R33 and they're being rounded up too. ICE is kidnapping Americans. They have a quota and don't give a shit if you're legal or not. If you have less than white skin, it's open season.

R34 you nailed it. Unfortunately a certain group of Dems are very paranoid. Any criticism of the Party labels you a MAGA. I don’t see a solution. At least the socialist progressives focus on economic issues instead of cultural ones. That’s something.

More recent polling shows US Hispanic/Latino voters turning strongly against Trump... understandably. It is a shame that, when it mattered in November, enough of them believed he was only gonna deport the "very bad hombres."

This is very true, R40. My partner is Latino and was a big Hillary supporter earlier then turned to closeted tRumper. He despises tRump now maybe even more than I do - if that is even possible. He seemed to feel illegals were taking all the jobs - mind you he's never been unemployed and never has a problem finding a second or third job when he wants one. Go figure!

Could Gavin Newsom’s recent forays into trolling on Xitter be a not-so-subtle attempt to win back the young male demographic who voted for Trump?

I think Slotkin is a perfect example of how Democrats are shooting themselves in the feet (and brains). She had the closest race in the Senate, but she still managed to have less votes than Kamala, who lost MI. Her win was a fluke, just because the MAGAs did not vote in the race. And yet she walks around like she's the hottest shit, is being groomed as the next big party figure. She comes off as an elitist corporate shrill interested in chasing the non-existent "swing voters." She praises Reagan, constantly insults the intelligence of voters by infantilizing them, and closely ties herself with AIPAC, crypto, and tech bros like Musk - things that are not popular with the general population, let alone Democratic party supporters.

The truth is that the Slotkins and Schiffs do not have the real voter base that is going to turn out. People like Bernie and Mamdani energize both the Democratic base and the young voters that Democrats will need for future races. If Democrats continue going the Schumer/Slotkin/Schiff route of disrespecting voters - particularly those on the left - there will be a permanent split with a left-leaning third party emerging. They better ditch the old Clinton-Carville model, give the establishment their pink slips, and ban corporate influence before they get ditched by voters.

[bold]The data is from 2020-2024. Let's wait and see what impact Trump's immigration and economic policy has on the electorate. [/bold]

That said, Biden was a an abysmal president. Early in his Presidency, when he did nothing with what Congress gave him to help Ukraine, Garry Kasparov contacted people with sources in the White House. Evidently, ole joe wanted to divide his presidency in two sections before the midterms he'd focus on domestic policy. The next 2 years he'd focus on foreign policy triumphs and seriously go after Trump.

How did that work out?

Congress gave him Lend-lease for UKR, Biden did nothing with it - same for lots of other stuff Congress approved. At one point in 2024 Congress passed a bill of aid to Ukraine, all Biden had to do was fill out some forms showing what the money would be buying. He missed the deadline; Republican congressmen went to see to tell him his team had to complete it. Finally the purchases were approved and Biden rushed to get the aid to Ukraine before Trump took office. Biden missed the deadline in the sense he approved the purchases but the armaments still needed delivery. Trump cut off the delivery with the stroke of a pen.

Imagine what he was like about other issues. After the Supreme Court passed the anti-abortion bill, did he do anything other than feeble comments against it.

This is rear view window. It’s an analysis of 2020-4.

R44 Biden had a hugely successful legislative record. The US economy, thanks partly to Biden, rebounded from Covid better than all of our peers.

The NYT is still fixated on Biden? What a bunch of losers.

R44, Biden's presidency was better than Trump's dysfunctional shitstorm that left the economy wrecked. Yes, we had a pandemic economy which Biden inherited and Jumpstart. All of you concern trolls always claiming Biden was so awful aren't kidding anyone.

"The report's findings are based on a national survey and focus groups with men ages 18 to 29. Among its biggest findings is that concerns around mental health and worries about paying for things like housing and health care remain paramount for the group."

These people are stupider than fuck if they think casting their lot with Republicans/MAGAts/Trump is going to improve their housing and health care.

Don't these assholes realize Trump and the Republicans just cut Medicaid funding for millions of people, including all able bodies men like them. Why do they think this same elected group of people gives a rat's ass about their health?

It would be truly laughable if it wasn't so fucking absurd.

Democrats will win every election for the next 4 years, just like they did during Trump's first term. It all starts this Nov. when Democrats retake the VA governorship.

Republicans only win when Trump is on the ballot, and that is never happening again.

[quote] Most upvoted comment. Pretty much what we hear from many DLers as well.

And one of tte most moronic imaginable. I certainly don’t agree with some of the trans positions many democrats take, but they are so marginal to my existence and tte existence of the vast majority of Americans. It is amazing the trivial stupidity over which Americans will sacrifice their democracy and civil rights.

These articles and books are constantly floated out so when the election is stolen they can say, "They just didn't connect with The Common Man".

Fortunately many of the Trump voters even new young Trump voters are feeling, or about to feel the full impact of their disastrous choice. We must step on the gas and allow this to crush them or they won't learn.

Farmers and people in dire straits committing suicide will come soon and be memorable lessons for whoever is left.

I don't think a majority of Gen X even voted. Why should politicians care what they think, they never vote!

In election after election Democrats offer policies and solutions that serve everyone and the voters just shrug. I'll never understand it.

R12 I think it’s fair to say both parties engage in gerrymandering and neither has the political will to do a thing about it. It’s against establishment interests to enact reforms that would actually give 3rd party candidates a chance.

Because Americans are fucking stupid, lazy and entitled, r53.

It’s the fucking Truth and we all know it. We bitch about it constantly. From the shitty garbage we eat (all processed all the time) to the fucking idiots who can’t drive, to the goddamn fuckwits who walk around the grocery/park/sidewalk screaming into a cell phone in speaker mode to the tasteless fools decorating their abodes like a drunken Persian whore monger.

Fucking stupid, lazy and selfish.

Democrats would be fools if they refuse to consider how an objectionable man like Donald Trump managed to get elected twice.

The problem is the Trump voters we’re talking about genuinely believe he has their best interests at heart. They think he truly wants prosperity and economic security for working and middle class Americans and his policies on tariffs, tax relief and illegal migrant labor are proof positive of it.

There is an undeniable risk of further alienating voters who have lost faith in the Democrat’s commitment to ordinary Americans if their only message continues to be, “the orange man and all his policies are evil and bad.” They need to find a way to appeal to voters who are casting their ballots according to the perception that Democratic leadership is arrogant, tone-deaf and uninterested in doing what’s best for all Americans.

[quote]hink it’s fair to say both parties engage in gerrymandering...

Nope! 100% wrong.

Dems in the House tried to pass a No Gerrymandering national law and EVERY Democrat voted for it. ZERO Republicans voted for it and California had a non-partisan commission to create House seats. This new move is ONLY in response to the MAGA demons in Texas!

If you're still on the both sides team, you really need to stop watching FOX and enter a psych hospital.

[quote] Democrats would be fools if they refuse to consider how an objectionable man like Donald Trump managed to get elected twice.

The answer is simple: white supremacy. Americans who found themselves in an unfamiliar world chose to go to the cartoon of a successful white man.

Eight years later, they got exactly what they always get. Shafted. I’m drinking beer that cost $8.99 for a six pack when he was first elected, but now is $14.99 for a 4 pack,

R57 Which law was that?

Are you talking about the Fair Representation Act? It was first introduced in 2017 by Rep. Don Beyer (D-VA) in 2017 and aims to address gerrymandering through proportional representation and multi-member districts.

Although it has been reintroduced by Beyer in each subsequent Congress since, it has never advanced beyond committee let alone made it to a vote or even floor consideration.

Politics today is more about personality than policy. It's no surprise that young men, in particular, are souring on the Democrats. For the previous generation, the Democratic Party meant Barack Obama and Bill Clinton, who were both strong communicators, charismatic, and in touch with popular culture. The Democrats were the party for the "cool kids." For college-age voters today, Bill Clinton is ancient history, and they have few memories of Obama because they were in kindergarten when Obama was president. To them, the Democratic Party is Joe Biden and maybe Hillary Clinton, who (despite their talents and accomplishments) are old, lacking in charisma, and out of step with popular culture. Or, to take it a step further, the Democratic Party is the party of Chuck Schumer, Nancy Pelosi (and now Hakeem Jeffries). To young people today, Trump's presidency isn't an aberration. Trump has dominated the political scene for most of their lives, so to them, a Trump presidency is the norm.

I know the conventional DL wisdom is "Who cares about young people? They never vote anyway." But once people align with a political party, then tend to stick with that party. If we lose young voters today, we may have a hard time winning them back later. If we want to avoid losing the next generation, we need to find someone with a strong, charismatic personality (even if some of their policy views are questionable) who doesn't remind young people of their out-of-touch grandparents.

The gop has lost nearly a third of its young voters.

It’s not 2024 anymore and the young have fled the gop.

Americans are too stupid to understand policy.

They think laws make themselves and that change happens automatically and good job markets create themselves.

It's nearly impossible to reach people this dumb.

Dems are so afraid of being centrist even though most are and they get caught up catering to the more progressive wing. There was a period where that may have made sense. But that period is over. Republicans are scum and I'll vote Democratic no matter. But what at all is attractive to younger voters? NOT being Republicans is plenty attractive for some people, but beyond that? Dems have horrendous messaging right now - they're afraid to be combative, afraid to lay out any sort of clear identity because it may upset a Dem sub-group. The just look adrift and spineless.

It’s definitely not a winning strategy when stated openly, but this 100% on the idiot cohort of the American public. The least successful, least educated want someone on their level. The guy who drove a garbage truck and cosplayed as a McDonald’s worker so he wouldn’t go to prison.

Don’t try to appeal to voters but go all in on things that are unpopular. Then call the voters idiots. That’s some strategy for a political party.

There are DL MAGA denying Dem voter crisis. Trump sucking sycophants

^^ idiot cohort

R58 For sure. The cost of living is a huge concern for so many Americans.

Here’s a graph that perfectly illustrates your point, straight from the Democrats’ official Twitter account.

Funny thing is? They deleted the post almost immediately when they realized it represented grocery prices during the entire Biden administration rather than the 7 months since Trump’s been president. Go figure.

Prices are higher now than they were Biden left office, R68.

The rate of inflation has also increased.

If we raised taxes on the rich, most of the ocuntry's problems could be fixed. The problem is Republicans were ALL complicit with the looting of the nation.

R70. “ ocuntry”I assume it was a typo but it kind of fits where we are now.

[quote]The rate of inflation has also increased.

Inflation rate in January 2025 when Biden left office: "In the United States, the annual Consumer Price Index (CPI) (inflation) was 3.0% in January 2025"

Current inflation rate: "US Inflation Rate is at 2.70%,"

Newsom is handling this right. He needs to keep it up.

Yeah, cause we need to run a liberal from California.

R74, maybe try this: instead of dragging down people who have actually done something effective and gained traction, why don’t you advocate for whoever you think is a better candidate? Is anyone actually good enough for you?

I know the answer. Andy Beshear.

Andy Beshear will depress turnout. He’s exciting to exactly NO ONE.

Dems have to stop letting boutique, grad-school language and ideology steer its messaging.

"Democrats would be fools if they refuse to consider how an objectionable man like Donald Trump managed to get elected twice"

They want gay marriage eradicated. They'll be unemployed, foreclosed, bankrupt and waiting in food lines... but if they get that gift it will all be worth it.

The rage out there is palpable. Marriage was the only thing that made breeders special. Closer to God.

So much denial on DL, but then again, they live in a woke bubble.

The fact is, Democrats have turned into radical socialists and Americans in general don't approve of their far-left woke agendas: open borders, DEI, CRT, trans/nonbinary ideology, globalism, anti-capitalism, defunding the police, soft on crime, anti-white, anti-men, and anti-Christianity bigotry.

Thus, many Americans support Trump and Republicans getting rid of all that, while Democrats come off as un-American and out-of-touch doubling down on those issues.

The result: Democrats are hemorrhaging voters and it does not bode well for the party in the 2026 midterms.

[quote]Dems have to stop letting boutique, grad-school language and ideology steer its messaging.

Apropos:

The ONLY way to convince those tempted to vote GOP/MAGA or stay home is to crush them into dust, and maybe kill some off.

Even that won't work for everyone, but it is still a positive move.

What? Am I supposed to feel BAD for these people? I don't!

[quote]The fact is, Democrats have turned into radical socialists

We might take your post slightly more seriously if you listed the social programs Democrats have passed in the last 20 years that you would like to see repealed or that they currently advocate that you would like not to see enacted ALONG WITH a very vague estimate of how much is spent/would be spent on those programs.

Sorry for the request, but so many people post mindlessly and hypocritically about socialism (i.e., not acknowledging that their wellbeing and happiness are utterly dependent on "socialism" or citing government programs that, however misguided, cost peanuts) that I wanted to make sure your post got the respect it deserved.

[quote]The fact is, Democrats have turned into radical socialists

Hiuh.

[quote]Don’t try to appeal to voters but go all in on things that are unpopular. Then call the voters idiots. That’s some strategy for a political party.

As you know, no major Democratic party candidate has ever called voters idiots. The closest any of them came is when Hillary Clinton called some Trump voters deplorables, and that was monumental and exceptional enough that people are still getting the vapors over it over a decade later. Meanwhile. Trump calls his opponents low-IQ about a dozen times a week.

Now, you and the two people who liked your comment can go back to your fantasy world.

Hillary didn’t call them all deplorables, she said a third of Trump’s supporters cans from the basket of racists, homophobes, xenophobia, and misogynists. She was being charitable to put the number that low.

The reality is they self identify as idiots. They don’t understand complex issues, so they blame people who do. Or they mock them when tough issues can’t be simplified or solved. Last year at this time, they reveled in calling themselves garbage.

You can’t argue with these people or persuade them. You just have to beat them or get them to join a movement that is exciting but they don’t understand. Just like many of them did with Obama.

The fact is Republicans have turned into radical fascists led by a cult leader.

And yet, none of the analysis about how Democrats have gone crazy ever deals with that fact. There is no question that the Republican party, which we all know is the Trump Cult these days, is much, much, much crazier than the Democratic Party. It's not even close. And yet, so many believe the problem is that a few Democratic Party extremists are driving sane people away. How do they account for the fact that so many people embrace the absolute shit weasel craziness that defines the entire Republican Party these days?

In short, even if you didn't like Obama, or Hillary, or Biden, or Harris or any of the leading Democrats in this century, there is simply no question that Trump is ten times worse and ten times crazier.

[quote]Newsom is handling this right. He needs to keep it up.

Trolling Trump on Twitter isn't going to win votes. Speaking on economic policy will.

[quote]Speaking on economic policy will.

Yeah, right. (I don't think trolling will do much either, but the idea elections in 2025 America are settled by economic policy discussions is laughable.)

Well they're not settled by who can shade who on social media the sleaziest either.

It's not "Real Politicians of D.C."

[quote] Trolling Trump on Twitter isn't going to win votes. Speaking on economic policy will.

Show me when that has worked. Show me when earnest NPR policy wonkery has ever worked in winning elections.

[quote]Well they're not settled by who can shade who on social media the sleaziest either. It's not "Real Politicians of D.C."

Yeah, it sort of is.