OP-ED: Will Dems capitalize on voters’ discontent?
Although I used to write more politically oriented articles prior to 2020 and after January 6, I’ve tried to avoid them “like a COVID plague.” The primary reason I made that editorial decision was to keep political zealots from burning down my house or blowing up my car.
To explain some of the nuances of the upcoming election, however, I’ve decided to write an educational article that deals exclusively with someone else’s facts and arguments. If you are offended by this one, it’s probably about your echo chamber, not mine because mine is currently being remodeled.
In a recent interview on “The Ezra Klein Show,” Klein spoke with Sarah Longwell, publisher of The Bulwark. The topic was, “What Hundreds of Focus Groups With Trump Voters Revealed.” Since 2016, Longwell has conducted hundreds of focus groups involving thousands of Trump voters and swing voters. After his strongest electoral victory, President Trump entered office in January 2025 with approval ratings in some polls above 50%. By the fall of 2026, many polls had his approval rating in the mid-30s.
During the interview, Longwell suggested that many voters elected Trump primarily because they wanted lower prices and fewer “stupid wars.” Instead, his administration imposed broad tariffs and became involved in a war with Iran. These were highly visible initiatives that could not easily be blamed on Joe Biden, Congress, or “the deep state.”
Many of the voters Longwell interviewed appear to associate those decisions with higher prices for gas, beef, and groceries at precisely the moment they expected financial relief. When Trump claimed everything was fine, some focus group participants responded bluntly, “I’ve never paid $9 for ground beef before,” or “I really thought it was going to be about us here at home.”
The America First voters believed Trump had promised to prioritize ordinary Americans and their jobs, schools, communities, and grocery bills while reducing America’s involvement in expensive projects overseas. For many of them, that promise now feels broken.
Another factor that has broken through is corruption. Previously, allegations involving Trump’s crypto ventures, family business dealings, and other projects barely registered with many supporters. But when economic pain persists, voters start looking more closely at what the people in charge are doing. What many now view as self-enrichment by their own guy has become harder to ignore. In fact, a recent Fox News poll found that concern about government corruption ranked even higher than inflation and healthcare among voters.
Other issues have also bubbled to the surface, creating additional feelings of distrust, disgust, and abandonment. These include the Epstein files, immigration controversies involving masked agents and allegations of excess, as well as growing anxiety about AI and data centers. Different issues, same emotion: powerlessness.
Several of the “news receivers,” rather than “news seekers,” who absorb political vibes through social media, podcasts, and cultural figures instead of following policy details, are also hearing criticism from people like Joe Rogan, Tim Dillon, Megyn Kelly, Tucker Carlson, and others. These personalities helped contribute to Trump’s popularity, but many have become increasingly critical of the administration on several of the same issues troubling these voters.
What’s the bottom line? I guess we’ll find out sometime later this year, but Trump’s second-term choices have made voter disappointment personal and difficult to explain away. People wanted lower prices and more attention paid to their daily lives. When that failed to materialize, his approval ratings cratered.
Now it’s up to the Democrats to decide whether they can capitalize on that frustration. They don’t need a complicated theory or another messaging seminar. They need to speak directly to voters about affordability, corruption, and the growing feeling that government has stopped paying attention to ordinary people.
There is an opening here.
The question is whether Democrats will walk through it, or manage to snatch defeat from the jaws of victory.
Nick Jacobs lives in Windber.