Sen. John Fetterman, D-Pa., believes the Democratic Party has turned off male voters by being “insulting.”
In a new interview with The New York Times, the lawmaker stated that liberals turned off male voters, who supported President-elect Donald Trump in droves.
“Telling them that ‘I know better than you do,’ that’s not helpful,” Fetterman said, characterizing what he saw as the party’s approach to courting men.
Trump secured a strong majority of the male vote in the 2024 election cycle, making notable strides with Blacks, Latinos and younger male voters in particular.
Throughout the presidential campaign, Democratic Party polling showed support among men flagging, but efforts to reach them with running mate Tim Walz and celebrity surrogates flailed.
Fetterman recalled a 2016 event where he noted Trump’s resonance with male voters and what he deemed a poor party response.
“I was doing an event with the steel workers, across the street where I live, and I was noticing [a] different kind of energy with this, with Trump. It was clear at that time that people were voting for Trump. And the Democrats’ response was, ‘Aren’t they smart enough to realize they’re voting against their interests?’” he said.
“And that’s insulting, and that’s, I mean, that’s, that’s just not helpful. It’s condescending. And if anything, that reinforces that kind of stereotype.”
Trump narrowly won Pennsylvania during his election victories in 2016 and 2024 and lost a tight race there to Joe Biden in 2020. The winner of Pennsylvania has won the White House in five consecutive presidential races.
Part of Trump’s successful strategy this cycle to court male voters, especially the younger ones, involved him doing interviews with podcasters and influencers highly popular with men, including Joe Rogan, the Nelk Boys, and Theo Von, among others.
Fetterman admitted Democratic leaders need to consider just talking straight to men, or the “bros,” as he put it.
“Have a conversation. Have a conversation with anyone that’s willing to have an honest conversation. That’s always been the rule, and that’s what I’m going to continue,” he told the Times.
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