What Young Men Problem?

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For the past eighteen months, a favorite talking point of legacy political pundits is that Democrats have a young male voter problem.

It’s been incessant and so ubiquitous that you’d be led to believe—based on the commentary—that Democratic candidates had all but told young men they don’t want their votes.

Last November, one of the biggest stories coming out of the election was that Democrats are lackluster in their outreach to young men. There had been too much focus on young women (defending bodily autonomy and talking about the need for paid family leave is, apparently, “too much focus” on young women).

Legacy pundits (mostly straight, white men) had ideas on how to solve this crisis. They said the left needs a Joe Rogan type. They said Democrats should “moderate” on issues like trans equality. They opined that the Democratic Party had become too feminized.

Remember James Carville ranting about “preachy females” and claiming that women’s empowerment in messaging is somehow a dealbreaker?

As far as I can tell, none of the big Democratic winners from last night got these histrionic memos from the legacy pundit class.

Not Virginia Governor-elect Abigail Spanberger. Not New Jersey Gov-elect Mikie Shirrell. Not NYC Mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani. None of the baker’s dozen of Democrats who increased the party’s majority in the Virginia House of Delegates.

None of them.

There were no special ads cut begging for young men specifically to vote for them or radio spots stumbling through a weak Rogan impression or comprehensive plans published by these campaigns addressing young men.

Hell, not only did Zohran Mamdani reject their advice, but he released an ad dedicated to the proud history of trans advocacy in New York City. And not even during Pride Month! He just put it out there late in the campaign like a reckless lunatic.

So, how did these candidates do with young men? According to NBC exit polling:

Abigail Spanberger won 58 percent of male voters aged 18-29 and just edged out her Republican opponent among male voters aged 30-44. In fact, she damn near won the overall male vote, regardless of age — 49 percent. And she did this while flipping a swing state.

Mikie Shirrell won 57 percent of male voters aged 18-29 and 62 percent among male voters aged 30-44. Likewise, she barely lost the overall male vote — 49 percent.

Zohran Mamdani won 67 percent of male voters aged 18-29 and 67 percent among male voters aged 30-44. A full two-thirds of all young male voters. He won half of the male vote overall — exactly 50 percent.

Ghazala Hashmi—the first Muslim American elected to lieutenant governor of any state—also performed well among young male voters in Virginia: 55 percent among the 18-29 bracket and 49 percent of men aged 30-44. She didn’t lose by much among men overall — 46 percent.

Even Jay Jones—who many predicted would lose the race for Virginia Attorney General in the wake of his texting scandal—not only defeated his Republican opponent with a comfortable overall margin but did well among male voters: 50 percent of men 18-29, 49 percent of men 30-44, and 45 percent of men overall.

Did I mention that Virginia Democrats achieved their largest majority in the House of Delegates in modern history? They’re on track to win 64 seats, an increase of 13, in opposition to relentless anti-trans messaging from Virginia Republicans all year.

Democrats clearly won young men last night. There is no debate over this. The numbers are loud and unyielding.

They didn’t do it by pandering to young men. They didn’t do it by begging in broken fratboy speak. They didn’t do it by treating young men like special little boys who need their hands held. They didn’t do it by abandoning women and trans people.

They did it by talking to young men about affordability. They talked to young men like young voters who are worried about the cost-of-living, not like men who need some dipshit masculinized pitch.

That doesn’t mean they didn’t have fun or decline to chat with young men. Zohran Mamdani went on podcasts and chatted it up with conservative young men about the need to focus on working class families. Mikie Shirrell and Abigail Spanberger talked to young male influencers and content creators about addressing their generation’s lack of enthusiasm about owning a home someday or just paying for basic needs.

They didn’t condescend to young men; they made them part of the solution. They told them they’re essential and deserve better because they’re adults living in a society where no one should get left behind — not because they’re men.

All of these candidates who won last night didn’t shy away from talking about gender equality and LGBTQ rights. They didn’t buy the ridiculous theory that doing so would alienate young men.

And they were right. My god, were they right.

Stick that in your pipe and smoke it, Mr. Carville.

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