Stop Blaming Voters: The Real Reason Democrats Are Bleeding Support

Voter shaming won’t fix this. Building better candidates, tougher campaigns, and fearless strategies will.

Stop Blaming Voters: The Real Reason Democrats Are Bleeding Support

The Jack Hopkins Now Newsletter #407

(This a long one…but it will go fast!)

In the 2024 presidential election…turnout among Biden’s 2020 voters was notably weaker than among Trump’s 2020 voters:

• Trump’s 2020 voters: about 89% cast ballots in 2024

• Biden’s 2020 voters: only 79% did — meaning 15% of those who voted for Biden in 2020 didn’t show up in 2024gelliottmorris.com+11washingtonpost.com+11pewresearch.org+11

So, approximately 1 in 7 Democrats from 2020 stayed home in 2024.

Nationwide, that amounts to several million Democrats choosing not to vote…a substantial group whose absence likely had a meaningful impact on the election outcome.

In other words, we very plausibly lost…unnecessarily…because millions of people stayed home…and didn’t vote.

But why?

It’s easy to say, “Those lazy sons a bitches! They don’t give a shit about this country!!” It’s very simple to do that.

That’s because it doesn’t require any thinking. It doesn’t take asking deeper questions. It doesn’t take doing a bit of research to get answers that have traction behind them.

Oh, how human beings love the satisfaction of a quick, effortless “answer.” That includes me. It’s hardwired. We have to circumvent it strategically-it doesn’t happen by default. For some…that’s to much of an ask.

Here’s What We Know About “Why?”

1. Economic Disillusionment & Cost of Living Woes

Many moderate and working-class Democrats felt ignored on inflation and affordability. About 70% of the vote-share shift was due to voters swinging, but roughly 30% resulted from these disillusioned voters simply not turning up…mainly because their economic concerns went unaddressed timesunion.com+15vox.com+15thenation.com+15.

2. Voter Fatigue & Apathy

Frequent elections…long ballots…and the mental toll of constant campaigning led to decision fatigue and political exhaustion…key factors pushing some to opt out en.wikipedia.org.

If you didn’t understand why I put so much emphasis on teach people how to become more resilient…and break out of old…self-sabotaging habits and thinking that can lead to mental…physical and emotional burn-out, nothing explains “why” as much as this one.

3. Perceived Lack of Representation

Many felt the Democratic message was stale or out of touch. Some didn’t believe Biden/Harris offered real solutions. Others disapproved of their foreign policy stances…especially on Gaza…but felt powerless to push for change .

4. Belief Their Votes Didn’t Matter

Voters in non-competitive “safe” states often skipped voting…convinced their ballots wouldn’t sway the outcome…especially given frustrations with the Electoral College pewresearch.org+4theguardian.com+4en.wikipedia.org+4.

The Condensed Version:

• Economic anxiety: no meaningful relief = no vote

• Voter fatigue: overwhelmed by the system

• Political alienation: feeling unrepresented

• Electoral hopelessness: votes felt irrelevant

Together…these factors fueled a soft but impactful abstention…millions of disenchanted Democrats whose absence helped tip the scales in 2024.

You know, we could blow this off real easy. We could say, “Okay... but if they truly cared about democracy… if they really gave a damn about their rights and freedoms… they’d have got off their ass and voted.”

And I gotta tell you—that would feel so damn good to say… like a guy cracking his knuckles before a bar fight. It would let us vent our frustration…puff out our chest… and declare moral superiority from our little soapbox.

But here’s the ugly truth: while that attitude might scratch our itch for a hot second… it’s not going to fix a damn thing. The people who stayed home didn’t wake up that morning and say, “You know what? Screw democracy. I’m out.”

No. They felt abandoned. They felt invisible. And whether you think that’s valid or not doesn’t matter. What matters is they believed it.

I knew a lady who was in the same doctoral program I was…who went on to become a clinical psychologist. While very close to graduating, she was still struggling with the concept of people behaving according to their beliefs…rather than the facts. Why? I have no idea. That’s Psych 101.

My point? While I can’t imagine there are many in a situation similar to what her’s was…who struggle with that concept, if she could…then anyone could. And millions do…every single day.

What people believe…matters…a lot…whether it’s true…or fact-based or not.

And when people believe no one’s fighting for them…they don’t show up to fight either. That’s the real battlefield. That’s where we either win them back…or lose the whole damn thing.

How Democrats Should Have Approached 2024…But Didn’t…and Why

The strategies that should have been front and center leading up to 2024 were shockingly simple:

Go where the pain is, speak where the silence is, and show up where people feel forgotten.

Democrats should’ve had an all-out ground game in rural towns…in factory parking lots…in corner bars…in church basements…not just universities and union halls.

They should’ve been in TikTok comment threads…in WhatsApp groups…on the front porches where people have been waiting for someone—anyone—to knock and say, “Here’s how your life can get better.”

They didn’t. And that’s not some philosophical failure—that’s a tactical disaster.

Why weren’t these strategies used? I’ll tell you:

Because too many Democratic consultants live in a bubble of coastal donor galas… Instagram virtue signaling…and milquetoast polling memos.

Tough pill to swallow? Many of the most needed truths…are.

They love telling their clients what sounds good on MSNBC but forget that voters in Middle America aren’t tuning in. They weren’t listening to the people who were pissed about grocery prices…rent…gas…and medical bills.

They weren’t listening to the working-class Black and Latino voters who feel just as economically crushed as anyone else. They were too busy polishing talking points and chasing trends instead of chasing the truth.

Whose fault is that? That’s on the professional Democratic class—the strategists…the ad buyers…the consultants who’ve been getting rich losing elections.

It’s on leadership that got too comfortable believing that Trump’s chaos alone would drive turnout.

It’s on the influencers and celebrities who can spark a hashtag but can’t hold a street corner rally without catering.

And it’s on us, too—because we didn’t kick their ass loud enough to demand they change course. As I’m sure you’re very much aware by now…I will never be accused of making that mistake again.

So what now? If Democrats want to survive the midterms and have a shot in 2028, they need to burn their old playbook to the ground.

Forget the polished speeches. Forget chasing national approval. Start building trust in forgotten communities. Start solving local problems. Start running candidates who actually look like…sound like…and live like the people they’re asking to show up.

Build neighborhood teams…not just voter files. Talk to people who didn’t vote in 2024 like they’re the most important people on the planet…because they are. If you can’t inspire them…you’ve already lost.

And here’s the kicker: Democrats running for office need to stop acting like people owe them their vote.

No one owes you shit. If you want their vote…earn it. Every day. In every zip code. In every language. This is a battle. And in battle…you win by showing up where the other side doesn’t…listening harder…fighting dirtier (ethically and legally), and never…never…leaving a soldier behind.

That’s the only way you win back the people who stayed home. And that’s the only way you save what’s left of this democracy.

What Didn’t Work…And What Won’t Work in the Next Election Either

Most voters keep doing the same dead-end crap that never moves the needle. They complain on social media, scream into echo chambers, and sign a few online petitions like that’s gonna put the fear of God into Democratic leadership.

Guess what? It won’t. You can blow up the comments section all day long—it’s just digital graffiti to them. And the all-time classic? Sitting out the next election to “send a message.” Brilliant, right? Wrong.

All you’re doing is sending a message that you’re easy to ignore.

Low turnout doesn’t punish Democratic leadership…it emboldens the consultants who will gladly keep losing for another four-year contract.

If you really want to make them change…you gotta hit where it hurts: their power, their money, and their image.

Start showing up to their offices. Show up at their fundraisers. Start asking uncomfortable questions at town halls…loudly and relentlessly.

Push primary challengers who are willing to scorch the earth. Funnel money and attention to insurgent candidates who don’t play by the same failed rulebook. If you can turn their base against them…if you can prove you’ll back someone who will kick their ass out of office…you’ll see them pivot faster than a rat fleeing a burning building.

But here’s the secret sauce: it’s not just about tearing them down—it’s about building the alternative.

Start growing local political machines. Organize where they aren’t. Outwork them. Out-hustle them. And don’t just fight for your preferred candidate…fight to make your neighborhood impossible to ignore.

When voters show they can move votes…build coalitions…raise money…and flood the streets? That is when the Democratic establishment will finally sit up straight…loosen their collars…and realize they’ve got two choices: evolve or get replaced.

The Brutal Truth: Mistaking Survival for a Fight Is Why We Keep Losing

When I’ve posted that Democratic leadership isn’t fighting for us anywhere close to the way they should be, someone always jumps in with, “But Rep. XYZ is fighting hard for us!” And you know what? I want that to be true. I want that so badly.

But when I show them a real map—what serious..intense…no-holds-barred political warfare would actually look like…they can’t point to a damn thing on that list that Rep. XYZ, or any Democratic leader…is currently doing. That’s a problem.

Not because people are bad for believing in their reps…but because the bar has been set so pathetically low that showing up for a press conference counts as “fighting hard.”

Let’s get real. Fighting hard isn’t tweeting a spicy thread. It isn’t voting the right way and then calling it a day. Fighting hard means flooding airwaves in rural districts where you’re “not supposed to win.”

It means showing up in enemy territory…pushing legislation that makes the other side bleed politically…building aggressive ground games…and directly confronting power, even when it’s uncomfortable…even when it costs you.

If your favorite Democrat isn’t doing those things…they’re not fighting hard…I don’t care what their name is; they’re simply treading water. And if we keep mistaking survival for a fight…we’re going to keep losing the war.

My Engine Will Keep Running

I’ll be hammering this message over… and over… and over again…until something changes at the leadership level of this party. And if I’m getting no traction? I’ll keep altering and adapting my approach until I do.

I’ll throw out what’s not working…sharpen what is…and I’ll keep swinging until I hit bone. Why? Because it’s that critical to winning elections.

This isn’t some academic exercise. This is a matter of life or death for democracy as we know it.

I’ll go so far as to say this…unless…they change how they’re rolling, we. won’t. win. Period. Let that sink in. (and I’m far from alone in my thinking on this..and I talk with some heavy hitters at least 2-3 times a week…and we talk about these things. They’re mostly names you would know.)

And the idea of losing another big election? It warms me hot to no end. Like, pacing-the-living-room…chewing-the-inside-of-my-cheek…kind of hot.

And if it doesn’t light that same fire under you? If it doesn’t at least raise your pulse? Then congratulations—your Beta-Blocker dose is probably strong enough to tranquilize a horse.

Because if this doesn’t rile you up…what the hell will? This is the fight. This is the hill. And I’m not stopping. If you’ve read this far…you won’t either. I know that.

Look…I love what this party stands for. I love the personalities of so many on the Democratic leadership level. There are some truly good…kind…caring human beings among them.

This isn’t a pageant at the county fair, though. Those things…while valid…don’t accomplish a damn thing without a ballsy strategy that is constantly being employed…by all of them, in some capacity…with the kind of courageous commitment that the moment demands.

There’s a better chance, than not…that some of the people we are talking about…would be thrilled to death to feel the proverbial foot in their ass…and to be pressured and pushed into doing what they know is the right…and most helpful thing to do. I know there are.

Have a good night…and a restful sleep.

Warmly,

Jack