Democrats are rapidly losing support among registered voters
Image: ABC News
Blue may be the most popular color in the world—but fewer Americans are choosing it on their voter cards.
The Democratic Party saw a mass exodus of registered voters during the Biden administration, according to a New York Times analysis of voter registration data compiled by nonpartisan firm L2.
Let’s break it down: Between the 2020 and 2024 elections, all 30 US states that track voter registration by political party—plus Washington, DC—saw Democrats lose ground to Republicans, per the NYT.
This effect was seen in the bluest states (California, New York, etc.), the reddest states (Louisiana, Oklahoma, etc.), and all battlegrounds in between.
- Collectively, the Democratic Party lost ~2.1 million registered voters, while the Republican Party gained ~2.4 million.
- The overall US voting-age population increased by ~10.5 million over the same period.
Dems have also struggled to gain new members. Democrats accounted for 34% of new voter registrations nationwide in 2018, while Republicans stood at 20%. Yet by 2024, Republicans had overtaken Democrats among newly registered voters (29% to 26%).
Party analysts say they’ve been self-sabotaging
A number of Democratic polling experts have recently suggested that the party’s old way of registering voters is now backfiring on them.
- In recent years, the Democratic Party has mostly worked through nonprofit voter registration groups to target young people and people of color in general, rather than explicitly seeking new voters who identify as Democrats.
- But President Trump has upended that calculation by earning strong support from younger Americans—mostly males—and working-class nonwhite voters, especially Latinos.
Zoom out: This push comes as both parties are in the midst of a push to redraw state congressional maps ahead of the 2026 midterm elections so each party can gain more House seats from states where they hold firm majorities.
California Democrats recently approved a November ballot measure to that effect, after Texas Republicans approved a new state map pushed by President Trump. The current US President’s party typically loses significant ground in the House each midterm election, in an ongoing trend that dates back to 1974.
📊 Flash poll (long-form): In your opinion, what’s the main reason(s) behind the decline in Democratic support among registered US voters since 2020? The most thought-provoking and insightful answers will be featured in tomorrow’s newsletter.
See a 360° view of what pundits are saying →
Sprinkles from the Left
- Some commentators argue that Democrats now have an opportunity to do what they’ve been talking about for years—prove they’re more than a party of outrage and opposition—and if they can’t deliver now, they don’t deserve the trust of the people they claim to represent.
- Others contend that recent polling data suggests the root of Democrats’ male voter problem—and the potential solution—is rather straightforward: support plummeted when they ran a woman for president—and rebounded when the party nominated a man.
- “This Is the Moment Democrats Have Been Talking About for Years” –New York Lt. Gov. Antonio Delgado
- “The uncomfortable truth about Democrats' problem reaching male voters” –Michael A. Cohen, MSNBC
- “A dangerous new idea about what Democrats are doing wrong” –Eric Levitz, Vox
Sprinkles from the Right
- Some commentators argue that if Democrats ever want to recapture the hearts and minds of the American people, they need to abandon “woke speak” and stop being the party of over-educated, often arrogant gatekeepers of political correctness.
- Others contend that the real problem for Democrats is that progressive policies lead to high taxes and living costs along with disorderly streets and lousy schools, which is not a winning proposition for the American people—and could lose them even more House seats come November 2026.
- “Dems should wake up, lose ‘woke’ talking points” –Boston Herald Editorial Board
- “The Real House Democratic Nightmare” –WSJ Editorial Board
- “Heading toward midterm elections, Democrats not up off the floor” –Michael Barone, Washington Examiner
Share this!
Recent Discussion stories
Discussion
| August 22, 2025The parent trap: childcare costs are soaring in America
American families are increasingly facing a childcare conundrum: either pay a massive daycare bill, or stay home with the kids and sacrifice the paycheck that covers it.
Discussion
| August 20, 2025It’s probably impossible to fix social media, new research shows
Social media is a familiar scapegoat for anything wrong with modern society.
You've made it this far...
Let's make our relationship official, no 💍 or elaborate proposal required. Learn and stay entertained, for free.👇
All of our news is 100% free and you can unsubscribe anytime; the quiz takes ~10 seconds to complete