The focus groups offer “a pretty scathing rebuke” of the Democratic Party brand, said Rachael Russell, director of polling and analytics at Navigator Research, a project within the Hub Project, which is a Democratic nonprofit group.

“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,” Russell said. “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.”

The focus groups — held immediately after the 2024 election and conducted by GBAO, a Democratic polling firm — featured three kinds of voters: young men in battleground states who voted for Biden in 2020 and Trump in 2024; voters in battleground states who voted for Biden in 2020 but didn’t vote at all in 2024; and voters in blue states who had previously voted for Democrats, a third party candidate or didn’t vote in 2020 but voted for Trump in 2024.

“I think what the Democratic elites and their politicians believe is often very different from what the average Democratic voter is,” said a Georgia man who voted for Biden in 2020 but Trump in 2024. “The elites that run the Democratic Party — I think they’re way too obsessed with appealing to these very far-left social progressivism that’s very popular on college campuses.”

These voters voiced cautious optimism about Trump’s second term, both in the focus groups and a post-election poll that found Trump’s highest approval rating since 2020 in a GBAO survey. The national poll, which surveyed 1,000 people, found 47 percent viewed Trump favorably, while 50 percent disapproved of him — the highest marks he’s received since he left office.

Russell argued that Trump’s high marks reflect a “honeymoon” period, which she predicted will fade once he takes 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 also noted that the polling suggests openings for Democrats on issues like abortion, health care and taxing the rich, as well as a fear that Trump may go too far on tariffs. Their survey also showed that two-thirds of voters said inflation should be the incoming president’s top issue, but only a third of voters believed it was Trump’s or Republicans’ top issue.

When the focus group participants were asked about inflation and tariffs, many of them said they didn’t fully understand the policy, while others acknowledged they expected prices to go up.

“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?” said one man from Wisconsin.

Even though the focus group voters did not solely blame Harris for their distaste of the Democratic Party, they also weren’t happy about her candidacy. Participants described her as “inauthentic,” “very dishonest” and “did not seem competent.”

An Arizona man, citing the time Harris said, “you better thank a union member,” during a speech in Detroit, said “that was very disingenuous to me because I didn’t see an honest person that could be president.”

“It seemed like a lot of what she came out and said wasn’t really off-the-cuff, wasn’t coming from her,” said man who voted for Biden in 2020 and Trump in 2024. “Every interview, every time she came out and talked about something, it was planned out and never her thoughts, didn’t seem genuine to her thoughts, whereas, Trump, even though you never really knew what he was going to say, when he was going to say it, it was always him and genuine.

The feedback on Harris comes as the vice president mulls her own future, weighing a third presidential run against a bid for California governor in 2026. Some party loyalists have said they’d back another presidential run, arguing that Biden’s late exit from the race burdened the vice president’s three-month sprint. But others are not ready to get on board for it.

Several participants also raised the transgender attack ad that the Trump campaign deployed against Harris, which showed a 2019 clip of her expressing support for gender affirming surgery for state prison inmates. The ad’s tagline included: “Kamala is for they/them. President Trump is for you.”

Democrats disagree on the potency of the attack ad, but several participants raised it unprompted in the focus groups.

Lagging turnout was a major problem for Democrats in November. One woman from Georgia who didn’t vote in 2024 said that she didn’t agree with Harris’ “thinking that it’s okay for children to change their body parts.”

“I think that 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,” said a woman from Wisconsin who also didn’t vote in 2024.

When asked by the moderator if she was referring to the “trans issue,” the woman said, “primarily that.”

I'm a democrat, and so is my wife and we like to pull the blankys up in bed over our heads and fart and savor each others aromas.We only eat vegetarian food though, so don't get that pig shit smell that Repulsican's farts have. Those gross fat fucks eat McDonald's burgers, what a stink. I bet OP eats burgers & fries & crap, and his farts smell like something crawled up his ass and died

>>1370165
I'm actually vegetarian five or six days of the week unless if there's a cause to celebrate

>>1370170
I'm sorry that you can't afford meat the other days. I was joking bout being a vegetarian as I eat every meat but pork. I knew a pig once and she was an intelligent cute huge thing that would wag her butt every time she saw me.

>>1370200
>you can't afford meat
Lol. Im within the top 1.5 percentile earners in the US. It's not an issue with affordability.
I believe that meat is best eaten as a reward for hard work such as the end of the work week, or as a celebration. And when you choose to eat meat, you shouldn't be picky about the cut, an animal died to give you food, you should make use of every part of it.

But enough about philosophy. This article really is a scathing rebuke of democrats and their far left radicalism they let take control of their party

I wish this board wasn't filled with larpers

>>1370203
Personally, I'm a Reddit tranny from a tranny Discord.

>>1370152
>Democrats are self righteous
...because degenerate weirdo Trumptards huff Don Old's Farts.
Anyone who isn't a Trumptard is by definition infinitely superior to rightards.

>>1370201
>I believe that meat is best eaten as a reward for hard work
Meat is best eaten after a workout as your successful hunt has resulted in a kill. However you should be eating eggs, meat (to include organ meat) and dairy every day. Greens are supporting nutrition ans fiber and carbs are as necessary for calorie balance.

however I will acknowledge that a vegetarian who eats eggs and fish regularly will have sufficient nutrition. Animal fats are important for brain health. Vegans are slowly starving from malnutrition.

>>1370152
These trump rallies are getting wild

https://youtu.be/_g8A96RPJDc
2016: A New Hope
2020: The Swamp Strikes Back
2024: The Return of the God Emperor

>>1370287
reeeeeeee transphobiaaaaaaaa reeeeeee racism. reeeeeeee MAGA
my god libshits have no self-awareness.

>>1370347
Pretty much this. They felt the need to organize a focus group to figure out why people dislike them ffs. Literally anyone can just go online outside of reddit and read any sort of discussions and figure out why public opinion has shifted away from the Democrat Party.

It's like these people are so brainwashed and lack so much self awareness, they disbelieve any authentic criticism of themselves they read online and instead attribute it to some sort of Russian psyop or Elon musk bot army, that they actually feel they have to find people who stopped voting democrat, put them in a room and sit down with them face to face to figure out why they aren't voting Democrat anymore

>>1370347
>>1370383
You don't have to be a libshit to laugh at the Trump cultists.

>>1370386
the election proven that the majority of people are laughing at libshits because you've been the real cult the whole time.
Imagine how pathetic is it having a bunch of middle-upper class privilaged losers screeching about how everyone and anyone is a nazi racist then screaming why didn't you people vote for my side aren't you scared of the evil le nazi.
Oh wait that just happened.

>>1370386
In a fair world little kids would learn how to use a gun by blasting the heads of liberals.

>>1370386
You literally just proved my point on how you people act self-awareness

Trump has worldwide support. Democrats on suicide watch.

https://youtu.be/YKJGHbDBXZU

>>1370398
Go make a third thread about an immigrant on the subway, you giant hypocrite.

>>1370403
I haven't made a single one of those threads you crazed delusion leftist

>>1370390
Good post

>>1370152
Here's a good one
A foreigner on a student visa visited both a trump rally and a Harris rally to see what they were like
At the Harris rally he saw a bunch of fearmongers and didn't see any discussion on policy, and at the trump rally he saw a bunch of people who were welcoming he came, and a large discussion on policy positions
https://youtu.be/J8sXuMjppTE

Democrats are weird.

>>1370418
To be fair, Democrats should be afraid.

>>1370418
Meanwhile, Trump's actual policy positions are either retarded (Tariffs) or literally contradictory to what he said during the campaign (Rejecting Project 2025 vs literally putting some of the authors in his cabinet before saying it's a great idea)

All this proves is that Harris had a shit campaign (What a surprise) but Trump supporters fell for the con. All that open discussion means nothing when the official plan would be to deport this guy.

>>1370347
>this reaction
rightards aren't human
>>1370390
>It's like these non-humans are so brainwashed and lack so much self awareness, they disbelieve any authentic criticism of themselves
>Trump's tariffs will make things extremely expensive
>Trump admits the 'lowering prices of milk, eggs & gas' thing will be extremely difficult
>Trump goes against that 'anti-warmonger' base and continues to send weapons to Zelenskyy
The whole planet is laughing at you rightards.

>>1370390
MAGA is really overconfident having won an election by 1% of the vote with the richest man on the planet playing interference for their guy.

>>1370437
If you read this article, not a single ex-democrat stated they voted for trump because of musk
The Democrat party has some serious issues they need to address.

>>1370435
leftists are subhuman and should be denied human rights. the world is laughing at you for TDS.
>>1370425
Oh wow meanwhile biden is tearing down the border wall and selling it piece meal for 5$ per meter but keep going on about how immigration isn't a problem but the big mean orange man is.
You lost and you should kill yourself loser.

>>1370473
I agree, anon.

>>1370468
>>1370473
>>1370479
samefag clickbait victim

>>1370480
You are delusional like most leftists.

>>1370484
I'm not a leftist or a libshit and your imaginary strawmen will be your undoing.

>>1370489
Tell me how I'm the same person as everyone else again, you delusional retard

>>1370491
Ok. You're the same person as everyone else. Also you're projecting by calling me delusional when you're the one battling imaginary liberals on a dead news board with 10 people total.

>>1370492
I just think you're a delusional retard. You replied to three people, one of them is me I don't know who the other ones are.
That makes you, in fact, a delusional and likely retarded

>>1370493
>I just think
No you don't. And that's the problem.

>>1370489
oh boy the "neutral" definitely not far-left, anti-trump TDS loser. how retarded this is on par with those losers who claim they aren't facist because they named themselves anti facist them proceed to assault people with dissenting opinions.

>>1370497
You're in a cult. The 90% of the population not in the cult are naturally going to laugh at you, and it doesn't matter if they're leftists or conservatives.

>>1370498
you lost the popularity vote, its funny how out of touch with reality you are. I think most people would agree forcing kids to undergo gender change, allowing males in female bathrooms and literally assaulting people and trying to get them fired for having opinions is much more cult like behavior then anything trump's ever done.

But why should i bother trying to explain this to be a fucking retarded libshit like you with 0 self-awareness. You retards are still screeching that people didn't vote because of your fucking celebrity endorsement hahaha how fucking cult like. you should just kill yourself you're a disgusting loser without the ability to live in a civilized society.

>>1370499
>my senile pantshitting old fool is better than your senile pantshitting old fool! and if you don't think so then.... you have TDS, libshit!
I can't believe this is seriously your argument

>>1370501
no yours is objectively worst and you're a fucking retarded dog waddling its tail asking for orders.
Dw when trump throws you into a furnace I'll be there to celebrate. you've had your decade of tyranny you get to be the subhuman now enjoy being politically silenced and executed

>>1370503
I already told you I'm not a democrat and I didn't vote, but if you really need to lash out at the libshits that badly then keep attacking those dozens of imaginary liberals who supposedly post here.

>>1370504
I don't care you have TDS, you stop identifying with whatever group whenever its convenient in a one way hypocrisy. You can just kill yourself, you're a loser with no self-awareness. you think most people here fcking voted what a laugh.

>>1370506
Alone for the holidays again, Anon? Is that why you're so angry?

>>1370507
peace and quiet, posting in-between reading my stacks of novels i can finally binge through.

>>1370494
fwiw im the anon who you originally engaged with, and then I walked away for a while, and whoever you've been arguing with since then is likely one of the other people you accused of being me in your original post where you called everyone else a samefag

>>1370509
Doesn't matter if you're all repeating the same bot opinions.

>>1370510
>now everyone is a bot
Lol.
You must enjoy the koolaid quite a bit

>>1370514
>Trump cultist is telling me about his kool aid
That's nice

>>1370516
>TDS patient telling me how the world is ran by nazis and cultists.
If you were born 20 years ago you'd be in a mental asylum by now and not out being a danger to the public.

>>1370516
People like you really are delusional fart huffers

>>1370519
>>1370520
cool Trumpbot opinion

>>1370522
Keep on huffin'