Race or class? Democratic campaigns, pundits, and researchers have long been arguing about whether emphasizing one over the other—and which one?—is the right approach to winning elections. We know that the Trumpist right is going to continue its hateful escalator ride to the bottom—seeking to activate racial fear and hate among large numbers of white voters by painting Americans of color and the white liberals who support them as their sworn enemies. Just look at how they’re yabbering now about “crack pipes”—a phrase they use intentionally to evoke images of Black people abusing and dealing drugs.
So go the politics of white grievance, of dog-whistle politics. It’s also the only way Republicans can attract working-class white voters, even though the party’s policies directly harm their bottom line, their physical health, or both—while at the same time sending money up the economic ladder to the fat cats at the top.
As the 2022 midterms loom, Democrats have to figure out—fast—which approach works best and will help them win enough elections and gain enough power that they can make progress on President Joe Biden’s promises of a more just, more fair, and more equal America.
Yet some of the most recent research tells us that this question itself—of whether to focus on race or class—is fundamentally flawed. Rather than elevating one or the other, this data indicates that a fused, race-class narrative appeals more effectively not only to Black voters, and white voters, but also to Latinos.
Read More