Working Class Weekly: What Do Black Working Class Voters Say About the Democratic Party?
What we’ve heard in seven Black voter focus groups across five states.
We’re back this week with another update from the largest research effort to understand why working class voters are trending away from Democrats.
Last week, we shared new focus group data from Latino voters in the Rio Grande Valley in Texas that found serious concerns with Democrats’ priorities.
This week, we are sharing insights we’ve gathered in focus groups with Black working class voters across five states.
Catalist’s new report analyzing 2024 voter data found that Democratic support among Black voters nationally dropped 11 points from 2012 to 2024 – and even larger, 16 points among Black men.
Among young Black voters, the erosion is even greater – with Democratic support dropping 12 points overall, and nearly 20 points among young Black men.
While Black voters still overwhelmingly back Democrats, this slippage raises questions about why their support is eroding – and what Democrats can do about it.
To better understand, we held focus groups with Black men and women in five states – Georgia, North Carolina, Virginia, Michigan, and Pennsylvania. Of the 52 voters we heard from, 11 switched from supporting Biden in 2020 to Trump in 2024, 8 voted third party in both elections, and two didn’t vote at all. Anyone who was screened into the groups had expressed negative feelings towards Democrats, indicating they were persuadable voters in the 2026 midterms.
Here’s some of what we heard…
DISILLUSIONMENT WITH THE DEMOCRATIC PARTY FOR NOT DELIVERING RESULTS
A common thread across these focus groups was a feeling of disillusionment with the Democratic Party. Black voters consistently shared stories of being raised as strong Democrats – growing up, being a Democrat was a cultural identity in their families and communities, not just a political one – only to come to feel differently as adults. There was a pervasive sense that Democrats offer empty rhetoric and pander for Black votes, without delivering real results that help their lives.
“Growing up traditionally Black and in church, we were often groomed to be Democrats because Grandma was a Democrat. Great Grandma and Grandpa were Democrats. So I think for me, it was something that was instilled in us that ‘Democrat’ equaled goodness for Black people. As I became older and understood what both parties represented, I was given false hopes. I never saw politicians doing anything great for the actual people that they were representing.” – Black man in North Carolina
“Sometimes they don’t necessarily make good on all their promises. It’s hard to make good on promises, but I know it’s a lot of lip service.” – Black man in Virginia
“I don't think I will vote for another Democrat unless they, like, show me that they really earn my vote, like Barack Obama type because he was out there doing the footwork, showing us that change is possible. The Democrats don't have anybody like that, and they haven't had anybody like that for a long time.” – Black woman in Pennsylvania
“It’s the pandering they do to us. When Biden was running, it’s ‘you ain’t Black’ if you don’t vote for me. It’s Hillary and the hot sauce. We know, at the end of the day, you’re not really for us.” – Black man in Virginia
“It seems like they don’t really try to do anything until it’s election time, then they’re pandering to us, promising everything. But their recent history isn’t showing as such.” – Black man in Georgia
“I think they can put a show on for minorities but they get into office and do not even do anything for them.” – Black man in Michigan
Relatedly, many of the Black men we heard from seem to believe that Democrats pander to their racial identities as Black men but fail to speak to their economic identities, which alienates them from the party. As one man in North Carolina succinctly put it, “At my age, I don’t care if I’m not included. I wanna make my money. I wanna be able to support my family.” Similarly, some voters, especially the men, expressed concern that Democrats were more focused on what they saw as helping poor Black people with handouts than on helping Black working people gain upward economic mobility.
And like we have heard in almost all our working class focus groups so far, many Black voters, especially Black men, believe that the Democratic Party has become too “woke.” They viewed Democrats as overly focused on liberal cultural wars that, at best, they don’t feel impacted by and, at worst, they deeply disagree with.
DEMOCRATS ARE SEEN AS WEAK
Many of the Black voters we heard from who were inclined to support Democrats were frustrated by their sense that Democrats were “soft,” seeing them as failing to fight for – or stand for – anything.
“They don’t speak up sometimes, you know? Go in there and put your foot in somebody’s ass.” – Black man in Virginia
“In these few months that Trump has been president, I have seen so many changes in such a short amount of time that I've never seen before. I do wish that there was a certain level of, like, assertiveness that was within the party, especially in a time like this. So that's an area of concern for me.” – Black woman in Pennsylvania
“They’re soft. At some point, you have to put your foot down and say, no, that’s not how this is supposed to go. This is what we believe in. This is what we’re going to do. You won’t let them push you over.” – Black man in Georgia
“They don’t have a concrete economic philosophy, whereas Republican economic philosophy, you can love it or hate it, but at least it’s concrete. It’s something you can see and point your finger at.” – Black man in North Carolina
This overall sense of Democrats’ weakness almost certainly feeds into the perception that Democrats aren’t delivering results.
MANY STILL BELIEVE SOME POSITIVE ATTRIBUTES ABOUT DEMOCRATS – OFFERING A BASELINE FOR REGAINING TRUST
It hasn’t been all doom-and-gloom in these focus groups. More than some other groups, many Black voters we’ve heard from still have some positive brand associations with Democrats: compassion, belief in equality and civil rights, and – even among some – a connection to working people. That sentiment wasn’t universally shared, and many wonder if it’s as true as it was a few decades ago. But we heard more consistently from Black voters a sense that Democrats try to look out for working people more than Republicans. This seems like a building block for the party among Black voters moving forward – a glimmer of trust that we can rebuild if we focus on the right things going forward.
“They paint an image that they’re for the people’s interests. It’s like we share the same interests at heart.” – Black man in Georgia
“The party is, I think, it's more compassionate. It's more the party of the people.” – Black woman in Pennsylvania
“It does seem that they are advocating for areas that are of concern for me. So student loan, debt repayment, or forgiveness is a concern for me. The restoration or further strengthening of Social Security, maintenance of federal programs, it seems that the Democratic Party does align with that. Execution is another story.” – Black woman in Pennsylvania
RESULTS ARE KEY TO REBUILDING TRUST AND REGAINING SUPPORT
Encouragingly, many of the working class Black voters we heard from were not as hardened against the Democratic Party as many other groups we’ve heard from so far. Some still expressed optimism that they can find reasons to support Democrats in the future. Yes, they’ve become disillusioned by Democrats’ ineffectiveness, and like many of the other groups we’ve heard from, they are growing concerned with Democrats’ priorities. They think Democrats don’t deliver, but still beg for their vote come election time. But they still maintain some positive associations with the party and primarily express a desire to see Democrats be strong and focused on tangible results, especially on economic issues.
With so many Black working class voters saying they don’t see Democrats making an impact to improve their lives, it’s clear Democrats need to do better at showing real deliverables to help them. And we’ve consistently heard from Black voters that they want Democrats to focus more on upward economic mobility and a little less on social issues, even if they agree those are important. Democrats also should make Black men’s economic aspirations a higher priority.
It’s clear that, with these voters – like many others we’ve heard from – it is important for Democrats to articulate bolder visions of what they are for and demonstrate more grit in fighting for it.
 | A guest post by
|
So stupid. The Dems didn’t create heaven on earth for me (remember it’s always been divided government as well as a pluralistic society??) so we’ll vote for someone who is actively hostile to me and my interests? Enjoy!
I can’t argue that the Dems need to articulate bolder visions and demonstrate more grit. However, what stands out to me concerning your focus groups is a misinformed public. The realities of razor thin elections and undemocratic congressional rules is that one side can block all the good the other side is attempting to accomplish for the American people. Throw in a Manchin and a Sinema, and all bets are off. For example, the For the People Act of the 116th congress would have expanded voting rights and changed campaign finance laws to insure fair elections–blocked by the GOP, Manchin, and Sinema. Also, the “strength” that the Republicans project happens to be illegal. The Dems appear weak, partly, because they tend to follow the law. How do the Dems convince the public the importance of credible information sources and the huge impact of politics on their daily lives?