Zam-Zam
Senator
The times they are a -changin' update:
Five years ago, Raymond Teachey voted, as usual, for the Democratic presidential nominee.
But by last fall, Mr. Teachey, an aircraft mechanic from Bucks County, Pa., was rethinking his political allegiances. To him, the Democratic Party seemed increasingly focused on issues of identity at the expense of more tangible day-to-day concerns, such as public safety or the economy.
“Some of them turned their back on their base,” Mr. Teachey, 54, said.
Working-class voters like Mr. Teachey, who supported Joseph R. Biden Jr. in 2020 but either backed President Trump last year or, as Mr. Teachey did, skipped the 2024 presidential election, help explain why Democrats lost pivotal swing counties like Bucks, and vividly illustrate how the traditional Democratic coalition has eroded in the Trump era.
Now, Democrats hope to bring these voters back into the fold for the midterm elections in 2026, betting on a backlash to Mr. Trump and his party’s far-reaching moves to slash the social safety net.
But in interviews with nearly 30 predominantly working-class voters who supported Pres. Biden in 2020 before defecting or struggling deeply with their choices last year, many had a stinging message for the Democratic Party.
Just because we have misgivings about Mr. Trump, they say, it doesn’t mean we like you.
“I think I’m done with the Democrats,” said Desmond Smith, 24, a deli worker from Smithdale, Miss., and a Black man who said he backed Pres. Biden in 2020 at the height of the racial justice protests. But last year, disillusioned by what he saw as the party’s overemphasis on identity politics and concerned about illegal immigration, he voted for Mr. Trump.
Complete text: https://www.nytimes.com/2025/08/12/us/politics/democrats-working-class-voters.html
Five years ago, Raymond Teachey voted, as usual, for the Democratic presidential nominee.
But by last fall, Mr. Teachey, an aircraft mechanic from Bucks County, Pa., was rethinking his political allegiances. To him, the Democratic Party seemed increasingly focused on issues of identity at the expense of more tangible day-to-day concerns, such as public safety or the economy.
“Some of them turned their back on their base,” Mr. Teachey, 54, said.
Working-class voters like Mr. Teachey, who supported Joseph R. Biden Jr. in 2020 but either backed President Trump last year or, as Mr. Teachey did, skipped the 2024 presidential election, help explain why Democrats lost pivotal swing counties like Bucks, and vividly illustrate how the traditional Democratic coalition has eroded in the Trump era.
Now, Democrats hope to bring these voters back into the fold for the midterm elections in 2026, betting on a backlash to Mr. Trump and his party’s far-reaching moves to slash the social safety net.
But in interviews with nearly 30 predominantly working-class voters who supported Pres. Biden in 2020 before defecting or struggling deeply with their choices last year, many had a stinging message for the Democratic Party.
Just because we have misgivings about Mr. Trump, they say, it doesn’t mean we like you.
“I think I’m done with the Democrats,” said Desmond Smith, 24, a deli worker from Smithdale, Miss., and a Black man who said he backed Pres. Biden in 2020 at the height of the racial justice protests. But last year, disillusioned by what he saw as the party’s overemphasis on identity politics and concerned about illegal immigration, he voted for Mr. Trump.
Complete text: https://www.nytimes.com/2025/08/12/us/politics/democrats-working-class-voters.html
