Democratic fortunes in the midterms depend on how well they are running in their working base among Blacks, Hispanics, Asian Americans (AAPI), unmarried women, the Millennial and Gen Z generations, as well as with the under-fifty white working class women. These voters are deeply discontented with the state of the country, and they are not yet listening to the Democrats in advance of the midterms.
So, to get to a midterm strategy, Democracy Corps conducted focus groups using Change Research to conduct focus groups with Black, white millennial and unmarried women, and white working class women under 50 years. These were the groups we should have the best chance of getting heard, if Democrats were to shift the momentum this year.
Well, Democrats can get heard if they get to a different place on anger with corporate excess and monopoly power, deep anger about the cancellation of Roe, and an escalated attack on the Republicans. They have the potential to raise Democrats’ fortunes. And they have the potential to be heard by both Biden and Trump voters, Democrats and Republicans.
Corporate power
President Biden delivered a speech on inflation that was mostly on the mark. He got me. The speech hit the right culprits and causes. He called out the big oil companies and big corporations who without competition can readily drive up prices and profits. And he described two very different partisan plans, a Democratic one set to help families with high prices and a Republican one that raises their taxes and threatens Social Security. The Democratic plan negotiates drug prices down and finally gets the big corporations and billionaires to pay taxes. He called out a MAGA faction of the Republican Party that intends unmitigated harm to the country.
And regrettably, after listening to them, I believe our voters and targets would pay it little attention.
They have concluded Democrats always “disappoint.” They promise big change and nothing happens. The Republicans, by contrast, seem much more united and deliver on what they promise to do.
