In the wake of their 2024 election loss, Democrats are grappling with sharp criticism from focus groups that highlight voter discontent with the party’s perceived detachment, ineffectiveness, and focus on issues deemed irrelevant to their everyday lives.
The findings, gathered by progressive organization Navigator Research and shared with POLITICO, shed light on the growing divide between Democratic leadership and the electorate.
Navigator Research conducted focus groups with swing voters and former Democrats who supported Donald Trump in 2024 after backing Joe Biden in 2020.
The results painted a picture of a party viewed as complacent, elitist, and disconnected from working-class concerns.
When asked to associate the Democratic Party with an animal, one participant compared it to an ostrich, saying, “They’ve got their heads in the sand and are absolutely committed to their own ideas, even when they’re failing.”
Another likened the party to a koala, critiquing Democrats as “complacent and lazy about getting policy wins that we really need.”
Another participant was more direct, stating, “Democrats are not a friend of the working class anymore.”
A Georgia man who switched his vote to Trump in 2024 noted the party’s focus on social progressivism.
“I think what the Democratic elites and their politicians believe is often very different from what the average Democratic voter is. The elites that run the Democratic Party — I think they’re way too obsessed with appealing to this very far-left social progressivism that’s very popular on college campuses.”
Economic issues like inflation and tariffs revealed additional voter frustration.
Some participants admitted limited understanding of policy implications, while others expressed mixed feelings.
A Wisconsin man stated, “Obviously, I wouldn’t want stuff to go up, but at the same time, in the long run, would it be better off for America and maybe having more stuff made here?”
Rachael Russell, director of polling and analytics at Navigator Research, described the feedback as “a pretty scathing rebuke” of the Democratic Party’s image.
“This weakness they see — [Democrats] not getting things done, not being able to actually fight for people — is something that needs to be figured out. It might not be the message, it might be the policy. It might be something a little bit deeper that has to be addressed by the party.”
Russell suggested Trump’s current popularity reflects a “honeymoon” period, but she predicted a potential shift once he assumes office.
“Once things start happening, it’s going to take a turn, and so it’s going to rely really heavily on the actions in the first 100 days to see how we go from here,” she said.
Focus group participants also expressed doubts about Kamala Harris, the 2024 Democratic presidential nominee.
Descriptions of Harris included terms such as “inauthentic,” “very dishonest,” and “did not seem competent.”
An Arizona man criticized a comment she made during a Detroit speech, “You better thank a union member,” calling it “very disingenuous to me because I didn’t see an honest person that could be president.”
Another former Biden voter who backed Trump in 2024 explained, “It seemed like a lot of what [Harris] came out and said wasn’t really off-the-cuff, wasn’t coming from her. It was planned out and never genuine to her thoughts, whereas Trump, even though you never really knew what he was going to say, it was always him and genuine to what he thought.”
The Trump campaign’s controversial use of a 2019 clip of Harris supporting gender-affirming surgery for prison inmates was also discussed.
The ad’s tagline, “Kamala is for they/them. President Trump is for you,” resonated with some voters.
A Wisconsin woman noted her concerns with the party’s approach to societal norms, including transgender issues. “I think there needs to be some parameters on what’s accepted in society and what isn’t. Some of the societal norms, and I think that the Democrats have tried to open that up a little too much,” she said.
The focus group findings underscore the challenges Democrats face in reconnecting with a broad base of voters, many of whom feel alienated by the party’s current direction.
