Democrats cannot answer “What is a Woman?” so it is not surprising that they struggle to answer “What is a Man?” But answer they must because the ‘young male vote’ could mean winning or losing the midterms. And, if Democrats persist in treating men in an insulting manner, they will lose and should lose..
The question of how to connect with men arose in the 2024 Presidential election because Democrats were desperate to draw on the ‘young male vote,’ which was skewing strongly toward Trump. Moreover, in 2024, only 58.3% of 18 to 24 year-olds were registered to vote compared to 80.5% of those 65 to 74; unregistered young men were an untapped demographic, but only if they could be reached.
About 9 weeks before the 2024 election, culture columnist Claire Cain Miller warned Democrats in a New York Times article entitled “Many Gen Z Men Feel Left Behind.” Miller explained, “Some see Trump as an answer” to the demonization of men by identity politics. “Men under 30 are much more likely to support Donald Trump than women their age. It’s a far bigger gender gap than in older generations.” The Democrats tried but badly failed to bridge this gap.
And after the election? The post-analysis confirmed the rightward shift of young voters, especially young Black and Latino men. The Harvard Kennedy Ash Center for Democratic Governance and Innovation explains why. “I think the Democratic Party’s vision for men has been to be more like women. That’s really been the cultural message: you are not really supposed to embrace masculinity.” Instead, the post-analysis suggests sending men the political message “that you have control over your own circumstances and with enough work, you can rise above and lead your family.”
But Democrats chose to double down on their defining issues, such as identity politics, transgender rights, abortion, hating Trump, and mandating wokeness—issues that were likely to alienate many if not most young men.
Now it’s 2026, and it is ballot season again; Democrats are desperate for the male vote again. This is especially true after the 192-page Democratic National Committee autopsy of the bungled 2024 Presidential campaign was finally released in May 2026. The report states, “Harris saw dramatic drops in support among young Latino men and young Black men compared to Biden’s 2020 performance.” Again, the recommendation is to shift from identity politics to directly engaging male voters on the basis of their concerns.
But the DNC autopsy has a curious omission in its recommendation to engage with male voters: it says nothing about the best issues to discuss. Nothing. Perhaps they should have consulted the International Council for Men and Boys (ICMB) that lists 12 issues that are paramount for many men. Consider a representative sampling of 4 issues from the ICMB list; compare ICMB’s findings in 2024 with my own research on the same issues in 2026.
- Health. 2024: According to (2021) World Data, the average US male lives 74.8 years; the average female, 80.2. 2026: According to Worldometer, males live 77.39 years; females 82.23. The ratio is the same and, yet, women’s health is consistently better funded.
- Partner Abuse. Little seems to have changed. 2024 and 2026 both report 1 in 4 men are victims of domestic violence. Yet, compared to women, next to no shelters or services exist for men.
- Homelessness. 2024: Of the nations that keep sex-specific data on homelessness, ICMB Research finds 76% of the homeless are men. 2026: Stats vary but recent estimates for the US place homeless males at 60% of this population. Nevertheless, males are less likely to have access to shelters and services.
- Reproduction. 2024 and 2026 are identical. Men must legally support a biological child with no right to refuse the responsibility. Women can often terminate their pregnancies at will but men have no legal say in this matter either.
The 12-item list is an opportunity for Democrats to gain male votes because—with the exception of one item—the Trump administration has not delivered fairness to men since 2024. But Democrats will never address the ICMB’s list of real male concerns because decades of their own anti-male policies are largely responsible for the problems list. Besides which, promoting fairness to men on issues like DV or reproduction would mean losing support among liberal women, who are still their base.
Instead, the Democrats are pursuing a four-pronged strategy.
First, there is the standard denigration of Trump. Recent headlines in the New York Times and the Daily Beast read respectively, “Trump’s U.F.C. Event Comes as Backing of Young Men, Once a Strength, Wanes” and “CNN Data Guru Laughs at Trump’s Massive Poll Plunge.” The Times article suggests that the male vote can be bought for the price of a wrestling match, which is insulting; the Daily Beast one reveals a petty meanness, not principles or a concern for men’s issues.
Second, the 2024 agonizing over “What is a Man?” has returned to talk shows and campaign trails. The question is as absurd as “What is a Woman?” and it makes the inquirer look like a fool, not a leader anyone would follow.
Third, to directly engage males, the Party is following Hillary Clinton’s advice on the Party’s need to compete better in podcast and social media spaces. More and more liberal podcasts aimed at male voters are appearing, with the popular Smerconish Podcast being an example. The June 9, 2025 broadcast is described as “Michael [Smerconish] welcomes Ilyse Hogue, co-founder of the Speaking with American Men (SAM) Project, which aims to help the Democratic Party win back young male voters who are no longer aligning themselves with the party, many even becoming more conservative. These are younger men who feel ignored, ridiculed, left behind in education, the labor force, the dating pool, and other areas.” Democrats have made impressive inroads into podcasts and social media.
Fourth, as another way to connect with young males, Democrats are running candidates for the midterms that are said to embody manhood. A Los Angeles Times headline declares “Democrats put forward two styles of American masculinity” to fight what The Atlantic calls “the modern politics of masculinity.”
The first manly candidate both articles describe is Graham Platner, the controversial Democratic nominee for Senator in Maine. He is controversial for the Nazi Totenkopf tattoo he had to remove, as well as his profanity, communism, adultery, insults, physical, and emotional abuse of women. He is the Democratic version of the ‘toxic masculinity’ that liberals decry in Trump. Despite this or because of it, he allegedly appeals to male voters through his ultra-masculine, man-of-the-streets persona. To the Wall Street Journal, Platner constitutes “the rise of the ‘dude-bro’ candidate.”
The second supposedly manly candidate is James Talarico, the controversial Democratic nominee for Senator in Texas, He is controversial because he mixes a strange Christianity (“God is non-binary”) with an outspoken progressivism (“our trans community needs abortion care”). He is the Democratic answer to Charlie Kirk, who drew stadiums full of young people with his blend of religion and conservatism. Talarico is meant to have a similar appeal to progressive youth, especially young men.
Back to reality. Platner and Talarico do not express masculinity. If Democrats believe they do, then they need to return to basics and re-ask “What is a Woman? What is a Man?” because their answers are borderline insane. If Democrats want to appeal to young male voters, then they should emulate the most effective strategy they have used so far: podcasts and social media.
Smerconish addresses alienated young men with respect and understanding. He discusses their issues—the real ones like being “left behind in education, the labor force, the dating pool, and other areas.” It works.
These are difficult issues to discuss if you are unwilling to admit the biological reality of two sexes or believe that pharmaceuticals will invent a magic potion to convert one to another in some kind of transhumanist fantasy.
I doubt if Democrats have the self-awareness, however, to realize that the young men about whom they evince concern have been alienated by the identity politics with which liberals have beaten them senseless for decades. Democrats need to put down this club. Nothing less will be effective.
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