How can New York Democrats win back young men?

These days, when people think about young men and what they do at the ballot box, they conjure images of MAGA hats and shocking takes on X and TikTok. In recent years, that demographic has looked less like a sure thing for Democrats and more like a growth opportunity for Republicans. Men in general tend to lean more conservative than women, but the youth vote had always been a strength for liberals. For some time, though, there had been signs that the electorate was gradually shifting. At the same time, many social markers of young men began to shift away from traditional liberal spaces like mainstream media and academia – and podcasters and livestreamers started pushing conservative politics, with streamer Adin Ross even giving away Donald Trump-branded Teslas. While a Twitch account isn’t necessarily a pipeline to the voting booth, the shift speaks volumes about the online spaces young men flock to.

According to a poll from Tufts University’s Circle institute, American men between 18 and 29 years old shifted about 6 points to the right in 2024 compared to 2020 – a shift that was most pronounced among Latinos, men of color and young men without a college education. Political scientist Brian Schaffner, who leads the center, said that while it’s difficult to tell whether the last election was a blip or the new normal, the trend of men without a college degree moving to the right is unlikely to reverse.

“The noncollege young men are actually more conservative. And so over time, I think that group could grow, because we do know that unlike, say, 20 years ago, that the majority of young people going to college are women, not men,” Schaffner told City & State. “And I think those trends have kind of leveled out a bit. So I’m not sure it’s going to get more pronounced, but I do think that trend of sort of this divide between young people who are going to college and those who aren’t is significant, and that obviously will carry through later in life as well.”

New York is an epicenter of Democratic Party politics, and it has not been immune to this national trend. From New York City to farmland upstate, Democrats have lost touch with young male voters, allowing Republicans to capitalize on their cultural and economic concerns. But some Democratic politicians are experimenting with positive visions of masculinity and economic populist policies that could bring these voters back into the fold.



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