As the nation continues to unpack last week’s election results, Debbie Cox Bultan sits down with Ruy Teixeira, a leading political analyst, demographer, and commentator. Teixeira, a Senior Fellow at the American Enterprise Institute and co-editor of The Liberal Patriot newsletter on Substack, is known for his books The Emerging Democratic Majority, and his latest publication Where Have All the Democrats Gone?. In this episode, we explore the "shattering of the Democratic coalition," examining the party's apparent loss of appeal with working-class voters – a shift that Teixeira argues has been underway for some time. He identifies affordability, immigration, and identity politics as key factors in last week's results and breaks down why voters' perceptions of Donald Trump are so varied. Tune in to hear his strategies for how Democrats can reclaim voters as they chart a path forward.
• [01:04] Introducing today’s guest, Dr. Ruy Teixeira.
• [03:11] What surprised Dr. Teixeira about the 2024 election results (and what didn’t).
• [06:12] Deliberating how close the election really was.
• [09:32] The biggest vulnerabilities of the Democratic party in this election.
• [15:54] Unpacking the role of identity politics for Democrats.
• [18:41] Trump’s divisive politics and why voters have such divergent perceptions of him.
• [21:04] Understanding Trump voters’ perspective regarding January 6th.
• [23:59] Liz Cheney’s in the Democratic campaign and why it wasn’t enough to sway voters.
• [25:03] How Democrats can reach working-class voters going forward.
• [27:10] What to expect from Trump’s second term.
• [29:59] Dr. Teixeira’s new book: Where Have All the Democrats Gone?
An Honorable Profession