Democrats: Solving the 'man problem'
Democrats are spending millions to win back young men

Democrats have revealed a central prong of their strategy to "connect with men," said Nia-Malika Henderson in Bloomberg, and the operative word is "cringe." To discover a message that will help win back the young male voters who have fled the party in droves, Democrats are spending $20 million on an initiative code-named SAM, which stands for "Speaking With American Men: A Strategic Plan." It will study male-dominated online communities and, says the prospectus, "the syntax, language, and content that gains attention and virality in these spaces." Great. To relate to disaffected males who see Democrats as "elite, risk-averse technocrats," the party's plan is to have high-paid consultants study them "as if they're an alien species." I can break it down for free, said Rikki Schlott in the New York Post. "It's all the man-bashing." Democrats are "hemorrhaging" young men because they push a progressive ideology that maligns everything from workouts to red meat as right wing, and trashes masculinity as "intrinsically toxic."
SAM has been ridiculed across the board, including by left-wing podcasters, said Asawin Suebsaeng and Andrew Perez in Rolling Stone. But the consultants behind it are trying to "engage with real problems." They include the financial worries faced by young men, who are being outpaced by women in the workplace, and the fact that many "view Democrats as weak" and want "leadership that signals strength" in an unstable world—something they believe Trump provides. Democrats' man problem is overblown, said Michael A. Cohen in MSNBC.com. Yes, there was an 11-point male voter shift to Republicans from 2020 to 2024. But polling across the past four elections shows male support dropped sharply when Democrats ran a woman—"and rebounded when the party nominated a man."
Reaching young men is a worthy goal, said David French in The New York Times, but too many are getting this "backward." What resonates with them is not a political message, but a personal one. At a time when young men are struggling, right-wing influencers approach them "from a perceived place of love and affection." It's a "profound shift" from the message of "the cultural left": that the "future is female," and masculine traits such as stoicism and competitiveness are harmful. To hear that they're valued and loved, "our sons should not have to turn to books or podcasts or social media." It's up to us—parents, teachers, pastors—to "fill the void in young men's hearts" and offer "a vision of masculine virtue" that embraces compassion instead of MAGA's vicious aggression.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
-
June 28 editorial cartoons
Cartoons Saturday's political cartoons include stupid wars, a critical media, and mask standards
-
Thai fish pie with crispy turmeric potatoes recipe
The Week Recommends Tasty twist on the Lancashire hot pot is given a golden glow
-
Palestine Action: protesters or terrorists?
Talking Point Damaging RAF equipment at Brize Norton blurs line between activism and sabotage, but proscription is a drastic step
-
Trump's strikes on Iran: a 'spectacular success'?
In Depth Military humiliations 'expose the brittleness' of Tehran's ageing regime, but risk reinforcing its commitment to its nuclear program
-
Some mainstream Democrats struggle with Zohran Mamdani's surprise win
TALKING POINT To embrace or not embrace? A party in transition grapples with a rising star ready to buck political norms and energize a new generation.
-
RFK Jr.: How to destroy vaccination
Feature Robert F. Kennedy Jr. replaces all 17 members of the federal Advisory Committee on Immunization Practice
-
ICE: Targeting essential workers
Feature After a brief pause, the Trump administration resumes its mass deportation plan
-
'No Kings': A turning point for the resistance?
Feature Millions of Americans nationwide took to the streets to protest against the Trump administration
-
Trump: Making the military into a 'partisan militia'?
Feature Donald Trump held a military parade just days after sending troops to stop protests in Los Angeles
-
Is the US sliding into autocracy?
Talking Point Donald Trump's use of federal troops on home ground, dismissal of dissent and 'braggadocious' military posturing are all symptoms of a shifting political culture
-
Will Iranians revolt?
Talking Point The chasm between Iran's rulers and their subjects is 'as great now as it was when Iranians toppled the Shah'