Head in the Sand: Post-election research shows that Democrats' have a weakness issue

For the Democrats, 2024 was the year of the ostrich, or the koala, according to lapsed-Democratic voters asked to describe the party as an animal in post-election research. On Monday, they released the results of three focus groups and a national poll of voters who previously voted for Democrats but supported Trump or did not vote in 2024 – and the results are scathing.

“They’ve got their heads in the sand and are absolutely committed to their own ideas, even when they’re failing,” said one focus group participant. Or, according to another, they are like koalas: “complacent and lazy about getting policy wins that we really need.”

Participants characterized the party as weak, overly focused on diversity and elites, and “not a friend of the working class anymore.” The nationwide poll also found that Trump’s approval rating is at its highest since he left office, at 47%.

While the research showed that the Democrats could capitalize on issues like abortion, health care, taxing the rich, and a fear that Trump may go too far on tariffs, it also indicates that the party has deeper perception issues that may take more than one election cycle to fix. Around the world, support for strongmen (or strongwomen – we see you, Giorgia Meloni) is surging, a current Trump has ridden back back into the White House. Democrats may struggle to make gains in the 2026 midterms if they can’t overcome their perceived weakness and other issues revealed in this research.