Voters Doubt Both Parties on Working Class

Voters Doubt Both Parties on Working Class

The News

Both parties are scrambling to claim the working-class vote two months before the midterms — and most Americans aren't buying it, according to new results from The POLITICO Poll.

A 37 percent plurality of Americans say Democrats best represent the interests of the working class, Politico reported Monday. Thirty percent say Republicans do.

Fifty-five percent said politicians are just trying to win votes when they promise to help the working class — a view held by majorities of people who voted for either side.

Timeline

Aug. 31, 2026

Politico publishes the poll under the headline "'We better not blow it': Both parties are fighting to win over working class voters."

Aug. 31

Political Wire highlights the same finding, writing that "neither party has credibility with working class voters."

Aug. 31

AlterNet reports that conservative insiders warn economic frustration is eroding the reliable red base, quoting the complaint "they've forgotten us."

Aug. 31

RealClearPolitics carries the story as "Both Parties Fighting To Win Working Class Voters."

Reactions

The dueling coverage tracks the split in the numbers. Politico's reporting frames the fight as one both sides believe is theirs to lose — "we better not blow it."

On the left, AlterNet's account ties the discontent to President Trump, reporting that conservative insiders themselves see economic frustration cutting into Republican support heading into November.

Political Wire's read is blunter: Americans don't believe the rhetoric from either party.

What's Next

The midterm elections are two months out. Both parties will keep testing working-class economic messaging through the fall, with the poll's credibility gap — 55 percent calling the promises vote-chasing — the number strategists on both sides have to move.

More

The Democratic edge in the poll, 37 percent to 30 percent, is a plurality rather than a majority. That leaves a sizable bloc of Americans who name neither party as the working class's best advocate.

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