theguardian.com
Young Men and the Election: A Missed Opportunity for Democrats
Analysis of the role of young men in the recent election, highlighting the Democrats' missed opportunities to engage this demographic and the Republicans' successful strategies.
English
United Kingdom
PoliticsUs PoliticsElectionGender IssuesDemographicsGenderStrategy
American Institute For Boys And MenBrookings InstituteThe Joe Rogan ExperienceNprDemocratic National Committee (Dnc)
Richard ReevesDonald TrumpKamala HarrisTim WalzElaine KamarckEzra Klein
- The Republicans also seemed to successfully detoxify Trump among young men.
- Reeves believes Republicans successfully detoxified Trump's image among young men through platforms like The Joe Rogan Experience, humanizing him by presenting a less earnest and more humorous side. The Democrats missed opportunities to reach these voters through similar platforms.
- Do you think, from initial data, that young men played a big role in this election?
- Initial data suggests gender played a significant role in the election, contrary to expectations. Trump overperformed among young men, while Harris underperformed among young women, making the election unexpectedly focused on men's issues.
- So you don’t think it was inevitable that Harris would actively lose the votes of young men?
- Reeves argues that Democrats did not fight hard enough for the votes of young men, and instead of addressing their issues, attempted to shame or guilt them into voting Democrat, which proved unsuccessful. The Republicans, conversely, successfully framed the issue as a zero-sum game.
- Your institute has a number of policy proposals for the betterment of boys and men. How do you feel about your chances of advancing those in the context of a Republican presidency and Republican Senate?
- Reeves hopes that Republicans will prioritize men's issues, such as addressing the male suicide crisis and improving access to apprenticeships. He cautions Democrats against blaming men for their electoral losses and instead advises them to tailor their policies and messaging to appeal to men's interests.
- When we spoke a few months ago, you made a case for ways in which the Democrats could speak to men and women. It seems like the Democrats went in the opposite direction – they really presented themselves as the party of women.
- Reeves believes Democrats made an unnecessary gamble by focusing their campaign on women's issues and failing to directly address the concerns of men. He suggests that the Harris-Walz ticket missed an opportunity to present a pro-male policy agenda.