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There’s a lot of commentary that Democrats are declining with the “working class.” Those analyses are usually grounded in declining Democratic support among voters without four-year degrees, particularly whites. But in the latest edition of Right Now, TNR’s Monica Potts explains why working class and college-educated should not be treated as synonyms. Many fairly well-off Americans, particularly those living in rural areas and over 65, don’t have degrees. And some with degrees, particularly in urban areas, struggle to afford basic necessities. Potts argues that the Democrats lost in 2024 largely because of worldwide anti-incumbent sentiment. The path back for Democrats, she argues, isn’t by fixating on the working class or any other bloc of the electorate. Instead, the key is the party finding a few issues to be “loud” about, ensuring those themes reach occasional voters and people who don’t pay much attention to politics.
