this post was submitted on 04 Feb 2026
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DNC’s Local Listeners initiative will target one million ‘infrequent’ voters in battleground districts

Democrats are launching an aggressive campaign to win back voters they lost, not to Donald Trump, but to the proverbial “couch,” as they look to regain support ahead of the 2026 midterm elections.

On Wednesday, the Democratic National Committee (DNC) rolled out a new initiative called Local Listeners with the goal of targeting over one million “infrequent” voters in key battleground districts. Seeking to build on the party’s string of off-year election victories, which extended into 2026 with an upset in Texas last weekend, the DNC is betting that early, localized outreach will be crucial in winning back these voters’ trust – and their ballots – this time around.

“If we want to keep earning back the trust and support of voters, we have to listen to them,” DNC chair Ken Martin said in a statement, shared in advance with the Guardian. “This program modernizes the way we are talking to and hearing from the voters that we need to win elections now and for years to come. The Democratic Party is done with waiting until the last minute to engage voters – these conversations need to happen early and often.”

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[–] in_my_honest_opinion@piefed.social 87 points 1 week ago (4 children)

Shut down ICE. You'll be the party in power. Fix voting access, nationalize mail in voting resources (states run the elections)

Promote down ballot leftists

Repeal citizens united

They'll never lose another national election

[–] TheAlbatross@lemmy.blahaj.zone 26 points 1 week ago (1 children)

These feel like pipedreams when looking at the current DNC. Or maybe they'll just talk about it then do bupkis when they're in power like last time.

[–] Alcoholicorn@mander.xyz 2 points 1 week ago

They have the power not to fund ice now. They chose to give them money again.

[–] UnspecificGravity@piefed.social 19 points 1 week ago

They aren't looking for a list of things to DO.

They are just looking for the right lies to tell.

[–] kreskin@lemmy.world 1 points 1 week ago* (last edited 1 week ago)

Israel will never allow the dems to repeal citizens united. It would get like 5 votes.

[–] uberdroog@lemmy.world 50 points 1 week ago (1 children)

Super easy, barely an inconvenience... do the opposite of everything happening in the current administration. Don't court the middle/right. Publicly recognize the lack of accountability and publish plans to do so.

[–] Alcoholicorn@mander.xyz 21 points 1 week ago (2 children)

Courting the middle/right doesn't mean diet-fascism or shitty, means-tested versions of policy people actually like. "Free healthcare" is more popular across all demographics than any compromised policy.

[–] DaMummy@hilariouschaos.com 5 points 1 week ago

I hear you, I understand you, and I feel for you. Therefore, we're gonna Pokémon GO to the polls.

[–] ameancow@lemmy.world 1 points 1 week ago* (last edited 1 week ago) (4 children)

Yah, I keep pounding this wardrum for unity and trying to explain how left and right basically want the same things but one side is made of blubbering toddlers who can't disconnect emotion from policy.

But you can mobilize them, you can push them to be your useful tool. Why does only Steve Fucking Bannon get away with manipulating dumb people? I don't get it.

Push free healthcare, push social safety nets, call it "tax refunded emergency financial care" or something so they nod in agreement instead of spit and rage about socialism. Push for social services and regulations on businesses that are ruining their communities, remind them they pay taxes and deserve something back for it. Stop finger-wagging about race and gender issues, THEY DO NOT CARE.

THEY ARE DUMB. Jesus christ why aren't more people using that fact as a tool for good. Most progressives have succumbed to the feed and the algorithm of rage bait and hate and now just want revenge and vindication, even if it means the world burns. They are the same.

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[–] Viking_Hippie@lemmy.dbzer0.com 41 points 1 week ago* (last edited 1 week ago) (1 children)

No mention of changing any of the policy stances, alliances with far right war criminals, and other substance based reasons for what they pretend to be laziness or apathy.

As usual, they're taking the Aaron Sorkin approach to politics where it's all about giving the right speeches and pretending to listen (while refusing to take action based on what they're told) and what you actually DO is immaterial 🤦

Until they stop acting like the country (and by extension the world) is a ridiculously condescending work of fiction with themselves as the main characters (and thus the only ones that REALLY matter), they will keep losing out on critically needed votes and therefore be accomplices to the ravages of fascism their carelessness enables.

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[–] Lasherz12@lemmy.world 28 points 1 week ago (1 children)

Being Mamdani without the policies isn't being Mamdani. America's appetite for Obama types is waning.

[–] captainlezbian@lemmy.world 2 points 1 week ago

Yeah better to be Katie Wilson than Obama

[–] gAlienLifeform@lemmy.world 24 points 1 week ago

Volunteers will undergo a seven-week training program on how to better engage these voters, including sessions on “active listening” and “having difficult conversations about politics”.

Seven weeks of paychecks for the consultants, but the party members they actually want to go out and do the real work of talking to people are just expected to volunteer. Sounds like the Democratic party I know and loathe.

[–] Tylerdurdon@lemmy.world 24 points 1 week ago

Pfff, yea right. Until they go grass roots, this is all smoke and mirrors. The voters have gotten tired of it and want actual change (which is a big reason why we're in this mess). Get rid of Schumer and the rest of the corpocrats, and look at what the people actually want. That'll never happen.

[–] HeadfullofSoup@kbin.earth 22 points 1 week ago (1 children)

It’s seem like an out there idea but have they try doing their job? Might help

[–] AbidanYre@lemmy.world 9 points 1 week ago (2 children)

First you need to explain to Chuck Schumer what his job actually is.

[–] prole@lemmy.blahaj.zone 5 points 1 week ago

It isn't getting aid for Israel?

[–] phutatorius@lemmy.zip 1 points 1 week ago

Schumer's job is to resign immediately and never involve himself in public life again.

[–] SippyCup@lemmy.world 21 points 1 week ago

Democrats will try anything but policy.

[–] OshagHennessey@lemmy.world 15 points 1 week ago

Lol. Lmao.

“If we want to keep earning back the trust and support of voters, we have to listen to them,”

“This program modernizes the way we are talking to and hearing from the voters..."

The problem isn't that democrats don't have a modern way to listen and talk to voters. The problem is, democrats know exactly what the voters want, but refuse to give it to them because it's inconvenient to their donors.

[–] bitjunkie@lemmy.world 11 points 1 week ago

"Corpodems launch aggressive campaign to get votes by doing literally anything other than what the people want" 🥱

Hmm. Opening new offices and hiring people seems more like a way to keep the cycle of donor money moving, rather than a strategy to win…absent any actual messaging or policy changes from Democratic leadership.

When I read the article I expected the regional initiatives to have some sort of mechanism to change messaging and policy. It doesn’t seem to me that “listening” is what’s needed…we know exactly what these potential voters want.

[–] inclementimmigrant@lemmy.world 10 points 1 week ago* (last edited 1 week ago)

I'm sure that having leadership sanction Democrats voting for ICE funding after they murdered an American citizen, withholding support for the progressives that won the primaries, and stating their job is to ensure funding for Israel is their first step in proving they deserver another chance.

Again, big talk, no actions from these A-holes.

[–] duelistsage@sh.itjust.works 8 points 1 week ago

Say they're going to raise taxes on rich people.

[–] phutatorius@lemmy.zip 8 points 1 week ago (1 children)

Have they considered actually standing up to MAGA?

And what about actually delivering something of value to their voters, in the places where Dems have a majority such as state and city governments?

[–] OshagHennessey@lemmy.world 5 points 1 week ago

No, they haven't. They won't go against their donors.

[–] mrdown@lemmy.world 8 points 1 week ago (1 children)

With jefferies, Schummer, Newsome and Kamala forget about it

[–] yonderbarn@lazysoci.al 5 points 1 week ago

I just threw up in my mouth

[–] mrdown@lemmy.world 7 points 1 week ago

We will listen to you then do whatever we always planed to do anyway

[–] Asmodeus_Krang 5 points 1 week ago

Step 1: Stop attacking the Bill of Rights.

[–] Danarchy@lemmy.nz 5 points 1 week ago

VOTE MORHRRFUKER (punches u in the face)

[–] JennyLaFae@lemmy.blahaj.zone 4 points 1 week ago

In the months leading up to the election i had so many Democrats knocking on my door i started going off on them, asking if they talked to each other at all, telling them i was feeling harassed. I literally almost threw away my ballot i was so pissed, when one asked me to send her pictures of me voting, I told her to fuck off.

They don't care about us.

[–] cupcakezealot@piefed.blahaj.zone 4 points 1 week ago (1 children)

seems far better to listen to your frequent voters in the base turned off by leaderships inability to listen to them then it is to chase mythical focus group groups.

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[–] Krauerking@lemy.lol 3 points 1 week ago

If you are paying yourself to train to better understand the average person, you have immediately lost.
You are incentivized by the wrong thing now

[–] Maeve@kbin.earth 2 points 1 week ago
[–] kandoh@reddthat.com 2 points 1 week ago

Two words:

President Clooney

[–] moseschrute@lemmy.world 2 points 1 week ago (1 children)

Just tell them JD fucked the proverbial couch. They’ll get right up.

[–] MrVilliam@sh.itjust.works 5 points 1 week ago (1 children)

And also show them a picture of JD Vance and explain that he's Peter Thiel's lapdog. And explain who Peter Thiel is. And explain why he's bad and therefore why Vance is bad.

On second thought, reaching the willfully ignorant is gonna be a fucking task and a half, especially with fox news blasting in public spaces like waiting rooms while critical thinking is gutted in public schools.

It's hard to feel bad for America right now. We had it coming. We told ourselves for 80 years that it can't happen here, so our guard wasn't up to contend with the reality that it could happen here, guaranteeing our eventual current state of fucking happening here.

I don't know how this ends in anything other than violent collapse, and I'm not sure how to get my family out in time or where to go. I won't be considered a valid refugee until after these Nazis have us too trapped to get out at all. People are too exhausted and stupid to organize into effective resistance. I doubt it would take that many bodies to surround the white house with rifles and achieve regime change, but nobody's coming to save us, and that includes our bickering, divided left and also the feckless liberals trying to soften everything to just some light fascism that's still 100 calories of fascism, but that's better than 140 calories of fascism so we're supposed to just be over the fucking moon with all their hard work.

I'm so tired of warranted anxiety. Say what you want about Biden, (believe me, I have my complaints,) but he at least kept the car on the road. He got us off the rumble strips. Now we've already careened off the cliff, but nobody will acknowledge it until we hit the bottom in a fiery explosion. It would take a fucking miracle to sprout wings and save us at this point.

[–] moseschrute@lemmy.world 4 points 1 week ago* (last edited 1 week ago) (2 children)

I have to disagree with the hard to feel bad part . I’m American. Every election I’ve ever voted in has been plagued with Trump. I didn’t spend 80 years saying that it couldn’t happen here. I’ve never really seen what an election without Trump looks like. At least not one that I was old enough to participate in. It’s difficult for me to not feel that the older generations have let my generation down. That’s where my frustration lies. I don’t think the younger generation deserves the blame yet.

I don’t mean to sound morbid, but I’m excited that boomers are close to aging out of politics (aka dying). Will be nice to finally have some younger representation. Too bad it couldn’t have happened sooner.

[–] prole@lemmy.blahaj.zone 1 points 1 week ago

Primaries are important

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[–] Ryanmiller70@lemmy.zip 2 points 1 week ago

Guess the one benefit of living in a deep red Midwestern state is they'll never try that crap here. Not gonna waste breath on people that value donations over human lives.

[–] ameancow@lemmy.world 2 points 1 week ago* (last edited 1 week ago)

The last several federal elections have had the highest voter turnout in US history. Our problem isn't laziness or lack of voters, our problem is the people who voted fucking hate democrats. They largely weren't all MAGA turds, in fact if you actually read the exit polling many of the people who voted for Trump in 2024 were Obama voters or Bernie supporters.

They didn't vote for Trump because they're racist monsters, most of them voted for Trump because they're dumb and they don't watch the news and when they do they see Democrats acting like pathetic losers while corporations drive our prices up. Millions of people voted for Trump because bird flu had driven egg prices up, and they associated that with Biden and Harris.

Dems don't want "more voter turnout" they want more of their own idiots and boomers to vote for the status-quo.

If we want to fix this situation with our only actual funded "opposition" party and have a chance of taking the country back for citizens we have to flush ALL incumbent representatives out of the legislative branch. We start this in the States. Each state is a nation, those states have great power. DNC is a container, we pour out the contents, replace it with something new and use that to reform the federal government.

They can't sabotage every election, they can't put fucking ICE agents around your local school board voting in new management, they can't be in every town electing a mayor. This is why Mamdani and other progressives won powerful state positions recently. Don't be apathetic, don't burn out because the dems are weak and awful and fake, make new politics. Get involved in your community, go to progressive victory and volunteer to help actual progressive candidates and ignore the paid DNC shills.

[–] kreskin@lemmy.world 2 points 1 week ago

"If we want to keep earning back the trust and support of voters"

they never started. If the are "keeping on" some effort, it has already failed. Ken has proven to be a collosal disappointment and waste of everyones time.

[–] JennyLaFae@lemmy.blahaj.zone 1 points 1 week ago

In the months leading up to the election i had so many Democrats knocking on my door i started going off on them, asking if they talked to each other at all, telling them i was feeling harassed. I literally almost threw away my ballot i was so pissed, when one asked me to send her pictures of me voting, I told her to fuck off.

They don't care about us.

[–] sturmblast@lemmy.world 1 points 1 week ago (1 children)

This is a campaign that should never stop

[–] Alcoholicorn@mander.xyz 2 points 1 week ago

Depends, will dems use this as a pretense to move to the right or will they convince themselves its a messaging issue, and republican-lite policy is actually tHE Most Progressive eVAr!?, its the voters who are bad and dumb.

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