Today, American Bridge 21st Century is beginning to publicly release findings from the largest working class research effort in the Democratic Party with the launch of a new Substack – The Working Class Project. Every week over the coming months, The Working Class Project will publish new research and analysis from focus groups, online qualitative surveys, and long-term quantitative and media consumption surveys in more than 20 states. The first post today by co-chair Mitch Landrieu shares more details on why and how this research is being conducted and the goals of sharing it publicly.
In February, American Bridge 21st Century announced a seven-figure investment in listening to and learning from working class voters – an extensive research effort to understand the results of the 2024 election, how and why Democrats lost ground with working-class voters, and how the party can build a more sustainable majority in the future, starting in the 2025 and 2026 election cycles.
[CLICK HERE to Sign Up for The Working Class Substack]
“As a Democrat who twice won statewide in a conservative state, I believe the solution to our challenges lies outside Washington. But diagnosing the problem is one thing; crafting a prescription requires listening,” said American Bridge 21st Century Co-Chair Mitch Landrieu. “I’m certain the only way we’ll find a pathway forward with working class voters is if we talk to people and go meet them in their communities. That is why I have joined with American Bridge 21st Century to conduct the largest set of research and investment in the Democratic Party this year to identify what working class voters want and need.”
The Working Class Project’s research design includes:
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Dozens of focus groups with self-identified “working class” voters, with different makeups organized by age, gender, and race across nearly two dozen states;
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Roundtables and in-depth interviews with labor, faith, and other local leaders in key areas;
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Specific research of young white, Black, Latino, and AAPI men who voted for Trump for the first time in 2024;
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An extensive study of working class voters’ media consumption habits, contactability, and audience mapping; and,
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Qualitative and quantitative longitudinal research from a panel of working class individuals across the country to monitor shifts in behavior over the course of the Trump presidency, reacting to major current events on tariffs, taxes, immigration, and other issues.
The Working Class Project’s target 21 states include the seven 2016-2024 presidential battlegrounds, seven defense states where Democrats must protect their narrowing margins, and seven growth states where Democrats must compete in down-ballot, state, and federal elections to be competitive longer-term.
Future Substack posts from The Working Class Project will be shared by Landrieu, other American Bridge co-chairs, and project advisors and pollsters.
Published: Apr 17, 2025