Appealing to "The Middle" No Longer Works in U.S. Elections

The #2024election showed us that trying to win over the elusive "middle" isn’t the way to victory anymore. When #Harris pivoted to target #moderate #voters, focusing on broad #MiddleClass issues, it left her base feeling unmotivated.

The "middle class" is too diverse for a one-size-fits-all approach, and only 45% of people identify in that bucket; economic needs vary by #race and region, so generic centrist rhetoric doesn’t resonate. Meanwhile, a shrinking pool of true #SwingVoters means the key to victory is energizing the base.

While #Trump rallied his base around clear priorities, Harris’s appeal to centrists didn’t hit the mark and likely led to lower enthusiasm and turnout among her supporters. In an era where most voters are deeply committed to their beliefs, an overly broad approach can make a campaign seem out of touch and uninspiring.

#Election2024 #Polarization #USPolitics

2/5

Who are America’s real swing voters? @damemagazine’s Parker Molloy says that it might be “left-leaning voters who are just about ready to walk away from the political process altogether” — and there’s a lot of them out there. What’s the first step to engaging them? Understanding what most voters DON'T want. “A study by Harvard’s Shorenstein Center found that 2020 election coverage was mostly horse-race nonsense, with barely any attention given to the policies that actually impact people’s lives,” Molloy writes. “When the media treats elections like a reality-TV show, it just reinforces the idea that politics is disconnected from real life.”

https://www.damemagazine.com/2024/09/24/the-real-swing-voters-arent-who-you-think/

@zemsgram @Bellison22
You have to remember that it was just a handful of "#SwingVoters" in a handful of mid-Western states who put #TheOrangeMenace in office in 2016.

Support for #Harris might be greater *nationwide*, but elections are decided by the uninformed & easily fooled.

Was the #DNC’s #silence on #trans #rights at the an #omen for #KamalaHarris’ #presidency?

In their effort to #appeal to #swingvoters, #Democrats didn't have a #trans #speaker at this year's convention.

https://www.lgbtqnation.com/2024/08/was-the-dncs-silence-on-trans-rights-at-the-an-omen-for-kamala-harris-presidency/

@rbreich

All this focus on the 'Middle Class' assumes that a bunch of poor folk is something inevitable & inescapable

The working poor are not willing to make that assumption

#PoorPeoplesCampaign is lifting up the voices of the REAL #SwingVoters :
The millions upon millions who aren't voting because they're waiting for SOMEONE to speak to them & for them

@zombywoof @proximacentauri
#Biden & #Democrats may "feel good", but you need #SwingVoters & #NeverTrumpers. And replacing Joe at this late stage is tantamount to admitting he can't win based on his record.

"Our research shows #voters have little patience for leaders who brush off #ClimateChange or oppose #CleanEnergy — for example, 63 percent of voters have an unfavorable view of lawmakers who deny that climate change is a threat. Among #SwingVoters, these lawmakers’ favorability is underwater by a whopping 50 points. This tells us that voters are connecting their frustrations around climate to their political decisions."

https://thehill.com/opinion/energy-environment/4076505-republicans-want-a-fight-over-energy-and-climate-bring-it-on/

@stuckinohio @truthat @gme @georgetakei

I totally get what you are saying and agree with most, especially the voting them out part.

But only the swing voters determine the outcome of elections. The registered hard right and hard left always vote for their teams; their votes are static no matter what.

So by keeping Santos’ lies front and centre, there’s hope of swinging the swing voters.