By Ed Gresser and Taylor Maag
With just over 30 weeks left before the 2024 election, Democrats are debating which voters to put at the center of their summer and fall efforts. Some want to focus on young people, others on college-educated voters. Many in the party want to focus outreach on non-college and blue-collar workers—a group with whom Democrats haven’t fared very well in recent years.
The last group has a very good point. But they (and media covering their debates) need to start with a realistic appreciation of who America’s working class is, and what workers hope to see this year. In both parties, politicians often seem to be talking past much of America’s working class—that is, the service workers who make up a large majority of it—and missing their aspirations. Appealing to them, as well as to manufacturing and construction workers, offers Democrats a chance to cement a winning coalition.
