A poll conducted with 1,000 Pennsylvania voters assessed the effectiveness of Kamala Harris’s messaging against Donald Trump, with clear indications on the strongest and weakest strategies in attempting to win over voters.
A recent polling effort by the Center for Working Class Politics (CWCP), together with YouGov, revealed that framing Trump as a threat to democracy is the least successful campaign strategy for Harris. This echoes past political strategies, such as the 1964 campaign when Democrats characterized Republican candidate Barry Goldwater as unstable, but the results have not been favorable for Harris.
The CWCP and YouGov poll evaluated various campaign messages including themes of democracy, economics, populism, abortion, and immigration. The findings showed that the narrative positioning Trump as a threat to democracy performed worse than all other themes, trailing the most popular economic populism message by 9 percentage points. It was less favored among almost all demographic segments, particularly among working-class voters in Pennsylvania, who form the largest portion of the state’s electorate. This demographic felt least influenced by warnings about Trump and democracy.
The poll indicated that the damage from the democracy threat messaging was more significant among working-class voters than Pennsylvania voters overall, as it received notably less support among respondents without college degrees and blue-collar workers.
For the Democratic Party, this study underscores that attacking Trump as a threat to democracy is not an effective strategy. Many potential Harris voters in key swing states are not heavily concerned about the prospect of a second Trump presidency, viewing politicians in general with skepticism. They are more troubled by the perception that politicians fail to prioritize their needs and deliver on promises, a sentiment rooted in phenomena like wage stagnation and inflation.
Instead of focusing on Trump as a negative figure, the CWCP/YouGov recommended a pivot towards strong economic populist messaging. The poll tested a message that resonated well with working-class Americans, highlighting issues such as rising costs of living and promising to challenge corporate powers and prioritize working-class interests.
This approach taps into a historical precedent where other political figures have successfully connected with working-class voters using the language of economic populism, even when hailing from elite backgrounds themselves.
The CWCP/YouGov survey demonstrated that while current Harris campaign messaging leans more heavily on portraying Trump as a threat, economic populism could offer a more effective strategy to connect with voters. Such a focus may provide Democrats with the chance to resonate with disillusioned voters and bridge the gap with groups that have been challenging for the party to reach in recent years.
Ultimately, the findings suggest Democrats could improve their electoral prospects by addressing voters’ frustrations with an economically tilted system and emphasizing genuine connections with working-class concerns over top-down threats.
