Reaching Out To Republicans
Additional Information
The Problem. Most Republican voters aren't ideologues. They're people dealing with the same rising costs, job stress, and broken institutions that everyone else is. The problem is that Democratic campaigns rarely talk to them, and when we do, it often feels like an attack rather than a conversation.
Analysis. If we start by challenging someone's identity, you lose them before you've said anything useful. But if you start with something real like the price of groceries, a job that doesn't pay what it used to, a government that seems designed for someone else, we might find that we have something we can talk about.
Our Approach. This isn't about converting anyone or even persuasion. We first need to listen and then demonstrate what we share many of the same frustrations. Then, we offer well thought out solutions to the problems people are facing today or the problems they anticipate they will be facing, like AI.
Specific Strategies
The language we use to reach out to Republicans will vary, depending on whether we are campaigning in Red States or Purple States
But ultimately, voters decide who to vote forbased on who a candidate is, how credible they feel, and whether they can be trusted to govern responsibly.
Youtube Outreach Videos
We Lost You
We Lost You
We Lost You
This video is the first in a series exploring how Democrats lost many of their core supporters. Once upon a time we were on the same page. "We Lost You" is both an apology to those former supporters and an invitation to dialogue. Today's Democrats need to start listening to people who have a different perspectives and different life experiences than they do.
Contempt
We Lost You
We Lost You
Approximately 10 percent of Obama voters switched to Trump in 2016. That's 6 to 9 million voters. So, why are so many of us contemptuous of them?
The answer is simple: it makes us feel better. But it's a dead end. Contempt is not a strategy for winning Republican voters back to the Democratic Party.