In November 2025, Democrats significantly improved their party's performance compared to last year's electoral disaster. In several cases, their gains among young male voters were particularly impressive. Party leaders believe Democrats can maintain that momentum into next year.
“I never want to hear again that the Democratic Party has a problem with young men,” says Ken Martin, chairman of the party's national committee (DNC). — We will certainly work hard to keep them in our camp and in our coalition, but we won every key electorate that left our party last year, and that should let you know that the Democratic Party is back.
Martin says that young people feel “disappointed” with the lack of opportunities on the labor market, which he believes voters largely attribute to the Trump administration. This hypothesis was proven true in several key votes, in which the consistent repetition of slogans about affordability paid off.
In Virginia, Governor-elect Abigail Spanberger won among men ages 18-29 by a larger margin than among any other age group of male voters. In New Jersey, Mikie Sherrill defeated Republican opponent Jack Ciattarelli by a 14-point margin in that demographic. In New York, more than 6 in 10 men in the youngest age group chose democratic socialist Zohran Mamdani.
Radicalism or moderation? In search of the golden mean
Democrats' strong showing among young male voters belies concerns that economic anxiety, cultural alienation and the appeal of conservative “manosphere” content have permanently drawn young men to Republicans in recent years. However, all these victories do not answer the question about the ideological division that is growing within the party: Will young men be attracted to moderation or Mamdani?
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From all corners of his party, Mamdani has received praise for his ability to reach young men by exploiting a media landscape that has so far guaranteed Trump political success. Still, not everyone in the party is convinced his approach should be a model for Democrats in 2026
Lucas Holtz, senior policy adviser at the center-left group Third Way, believes Sherrill and Spanberger's decisions to position themselves as moderate alternatives next year they will be more effective in reaching young male voters in key states.
“In the same spirit that we have to push for lower costs, to make life more affordable, we also have to go after Trump, and I think that goes hand in hand with what Spanberger and Sherrill have done on cultural issues,” he says. — They have been running mainstream campaigns all along. They didn't get bogged down in any of the far-left, culturally alienating positions that I think Mamdani really got bogged down in.
But John Della Volpe, director of polling at the Harvard Kennedy School and a one-time Biden adviser, says the party can learn a lot from Mamdani. The specificity of Mamdani's campaign promises, in addition to focusing on “listening, not lecturing”, allowed the democratic socialist to exploit young people's distrust of the political institutions of both parties.
— It may come from the right from Charlie Kirk, it may come from the left from Mamdani, but it's about understanding that psychology and those motivations to create a certain level of trust so that you can then engage in a more political conversation about, why this program and this candidate are better than that candidate and that program – he emphasizes.
Young voters are fed up with high prices
In the run-up to this year's elections voters consistently ranked the economy as a priority. Young voters, in particular, tend to be more pessimistic than their older counterparts about the country's fiscal prospects. Beyond the positive affordability vision, Democrats' effectiveness in tying economic frustrations to the Trump administration in non-election-year elections provides a helpful model for the 2026 elections, as Della Volpe suggests.
Supporters of Zohran Mamdani during the announcement of the results of the New York mayoral election, November 4, 2025.PAP/EPA/SARAH YENESEL / PAP
Jane Rayburn, a Democratic pollster who worked on Mamdani's campaign, says Democrats have managed to present a positive message instead of negative attacks on Republicans. This is what he considers an approach key to winning over young male voters.
“I think all of these campaigns, but especially Mamdani's, have, first of all, really tried not to treat voters as a monolith, and secondly, they've actually had honest, non-condescending, inclusive conversations with voters to engage them in the dialogue,” Rayburn said.
To continue to attract young male voters next yearDemocrats will need to focus on the candidates' authenticitygiving voters something to vote for and putting some hope and joy back into campaigns,” he stresses.
Still, Republicans say there have been gains for Democrats this year an aberration, not a reversal of the trend pushing young mento the right. Republican strategist Matt Gorman says young men tend to be closer to the median voter and are more likely to swing than female voters.
According to him, this constitutes a chance for Republicans to win them back before the president's midterm congressional electionsespecially when Donald Trump and other Republicans start talking about affordability.
— Young women statistically lean very far to the left, so they're likely to stick with Democrats […]. But the goal for next year is to regain the independents [wyborców]including young men, with a message of affordability, he says.
I’m Ashley Davis as an editor, I’m committed to upholding the highest standards of integrity and accuracy in every piece we publish. My work is driven by curiosity, a passion for truth, and a belief that journalism plays a crucial role in shaping public discourse. I strive to tell stories that not only inform but also inspire action and conversation.
