There are many reasons Democrats lost. They suffered from an unpopular incumbent, were punished for the high inflation of the last years, and fielded an uninspiring candidate who never managed to put forward a clear governing agenda. But the most fundamental reason why so many voting groups that had long been supposed to buoy blue fortunes have turned red—and the one that is most likely to dog Democrats’ chances in upcoming electoral cycles, when they no longer bear the burden of incumbency—lies in the fact that they are seen as being far outside the cultural mainstream.
Yascha Mounk is the founding editor of Persuasion, the host of The Good Fight podcast, and the author (most recently) of “The Identity Trap: A Story of Ideas and Power in Our Time.” He writes a weekly column about big ideas at yaschamounk.substack.com.
