Democrats launch aggressive campaign to win back infrequent voters | US politics
Democrats are launching an aggressive campaign to win back the voters they lost, not to Donald Trump but to that famous line.couchThey are trying to regain support ahead of the 2026 midterm elections.
On Wednesday, the Democratic National Committee (DNC) launched a new initiative called Local Listeners to target more than a million “infrequent” voters in key battleground states. The DNC, which is trying to build on the party’s string of off-year election victories that extend into 2026 with last weekend’s upset in Texas, is betting that early, localized support will be crucial in winning back voters’ trust and votes this time around.
“If we want to continue to win back the trust and support of voters, we must listen to them,” DNC chairman Ken Martin said in a statement previously shared with the Guardian. “This program modernizes the way we talk to and hear from voters about how we need to win elections now and in the years to come. The Democratic Party has moved away from waiting until the last minute to engage voters; these conversations need to happen early and often.”
The program represents the DNC’s most ambitious early voter outreach effort in a midterm, according to the organization. More than 2,000 volunteers have already signed up to take part in what the groups say is a sign of a “renewal of grassroots energy” for the party.
Volunteers will undergo a seven-week training program on how to better engage with these voters, including sessions on “active listening” and “having difficult conversations about politics.”
The goal is to engage voters who voted for Joe Biden in 2020 but are voting in 2024; Volunteers aim to make at least 250,000 phone calls and host more than 50 public events in key congressional districts by the end of March.
The Trump campaign implemented a similar strategy in 2024. invest heavily Access to newly registered and “low-propensity” voters—those who are registered but often do not vote. Voters who cast ballots in 2024 but skipped the 2020 election despite being eligible preferred Trump by a 10 percentage point margin, according to the Pew Research Center. 54% to 42%.
The president’s party often loses ground in midterm elections; While Democrats are well positioned to regain control of the House of Representatives (and possibly the Senate), concerns about the high cost of living remain and Americans remain uneasy with Trump’s handling of the economy.
The Republican National Committee (RNC) enters the 2026 midterm election year with a huge fundraising advantage over the DNC, according to federal financial disclosures. The RNC reported raising $172 million in 2025, with $95 million in the bank, while the DNC raised $146 million but ended the year with just $14 million on hand and $17 million in debt.
But party leaders are hopeful that Democrats’ recent gains will herald more victories in this year’s gubernatorial and congressional elections.
“While Republicans ignore Americans and choose to serve billionaires over everyone else, Democrats aim to reach more than a million voters in the next few months,” Martin said. “And we’ll talk about what’s important in their lives: affordability, freedom, the chance to achieve the American Dream. That’s how we’ll win in 2026 and beyond.”
