Another day, another reality check for the Democratic Party: Their candidates have alienated Gen Z, particularly white young men (although young men of color aren’t huge fans of Democrats either).
The New York Times dug into some numbers this week, and found the Democratic recruitment drive is failing all over the country. Voter registration used to be a key metric for Democrats, as more voters generally meant more votes for the Democratic candidate. But now mass turnout arguably favors the GOP and Donald Trump.
Indeed, the Times analysis found that some of the worst news for Democrats revolved around the young male vote.
Writes the Times: “The party saw some of its steepest declines in registration among men and younger voters … two constituencies that swung sharply toward Mr. Trump.”
Polling from Decision Desk HQ bears this out. Data scientist Zachary Donnini writes on X: “At the heart of the Democratic collapse: young White men are registering as Republicans in unprecedented numbers. Gen Z is on track to be the most pro-GOP generation since the Great Depression.”
Now the question that remains is: Why? Why is Trump’s GOP dominating this category? Well, one potential reason is that the Democratic brand just doesn’t appeal to young guys anymore: it’s too feminine, too hostile, even, to men.
That’s what my friend, the independent journalist Zaid Jilani, thinks the problem is. He writes on X: “Democrats need to explicitly oppose misandry and distance themselves from liberal influencers who demonize men.”
He’s hitting the nail on the head. For years, perhaps decades, Democratic messaging has emphasized how our legal system, our economic system and our cultural traditions have harmed people of color, women, gay people, trans people, illegal immigrants, Muslims, Native Americans, the disabled, the economically insecure, and on and on and on. Progressive activists have worked tirelessly to invent new categories of oppression and marginalization, because perceived victim status is a ticket to greater influence within the cultural upper echelons of the Democratic Party.
And this story of oppression and victimization needs a villain: Ivy League progressives have cast men and white people is the primary antagonists.
I think the reason this messaging is especially alienating to young men is that, well, they probably feel like victims themselves sometimes, but they lack the option to describe themselves as such and suddenly enjoy the pity of progressive elites. And yet young men are increasingly disadvantaged in terms of their economic opportunities, their educational outcomes, their health outcomes, and so on.
And since older Americans, including, to be clear older white Americans, are hoarding significant generational wealth — the boomers, for instance, prefer policies that keep their home prices high — it’s harder for young guys to serve as providers and breadwinners. It can be really, really hard for them to buy homes, which isn’t strictly speaking a problem just for men, but I think a lot of young guys still have a sense, perhaps old-fashioned, they’re the ones who are supposed to provide these things for their wives and for their kids.
The Democratic Party seems indifferent to these problems, and its most prominent surrogates often seem like they hate them — by which I mean elite campus liberals, some members of progressive media, and liberal Hollywood. And until liberals fixing this branding problem, male zoomers are going to be in the Trump camp.
Robby Soave is co-host of The Hill’s commentary show “Rising” and a senior editor for Reason Magazine. This column is an edited transcription of his daily commentary.
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