Republicans have flipped the script on Democrats, according to Minnesota Democratic-Farmer-Labor Party Chairman Ken Martin.
Long criticized as the party of the rich, Martin, the Democratic National Committee vice chairman, admitted the public now sees the GOP as the party of the “working class and the poor.”
He told Jake Tapper on Friday that the public feels the Democrats, on the other hand, represent “the interests of the wealthy and the elite.”
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“For the first time, the majority of Americans believe that the Republican Party best represents the interests of the working class and the poor, and the Democratic Party represents the interests of the wealthy and the elite,” he said.
During the 2024 campaign, President-elect Donald Trump and other Republicans resonated with working-class Americans on the two issues voters cared most about: inflation and the border. As a result, Trump became the first Republican in 20 years to win the popular vote.
Under the Biden administration, inflation surged from 1.4% to as high as 9.1%. This was felt most by voters living paycheck to paycheck. In addition, illegal border crossings increased, and stories of heinous crimes committed by illegal immigrants dominated the news cycle.
“That is a damning indictment on our party brand,” Martin added.
While the majority of the entertainment industry and wealthy corporate elites outspokenly supported Vice President Kamala Harris, Republicans leaned into engaging with working-class voters.
Vice President-elect Sen. J.D. Vance was the primary way Trump leaned into the approach. Vance shot to stardom after writing Hillbilly Elegy, a memoir about his upbringing in a poor, working-class family that delves into broader social and economic issues that speak to people brought up in the middle class or in poverty.
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Martin told Tapper that the Democratic Party needs to shift its focus toward abortion, healthcare, and increasing the minimum wage. He said that the party needs to prioritize “every race in every zip code,” and not just federal races, to regain the support it lost.
The Minnesota DFL chairman is one of four candidates in the running to be the next Democratic National Committee leader. The others are Former Maryland Gov. Martin O’Malley, U.S. Ambassador to Japan Rahm Emanuel, and Wisconsin Democratic Party Chairman Ben Wikler.
