Patriotism, Diversity and the Election

Climate change. Student debt. Diversity, equity and inclusion. The war in Gaza.

These topics are central to progressive politics today. They are the subject of campus protests and online debates. They are also almost completely absent from the campaigns of Democratic Senate candidates trying to win tough races this year.

In yesterday’s newsletter, I noted that Democratic candidates are leading the polls in six states where President Biden is trailing — and that all six have based their campaigns around populist themes of defending ordinary citizens against the powerful. Today, I’ll look at some other campaign themes.

One is the contrast between the country’s most heated political debates and the top concerns of most voters. Those heated debates are shaped by policy experts, campaign donors and political activists, all of whom tend to be highly educated and relatively affluent. The full electorate often has different priorities.

Student debt and housing costs make for a useful comparison. Student debt, a subject that the Biden administration has emphasized, may seem like the ultimate pocketbook issue. In reality, it’s more niche: Only 18 percent of U.S. adults have any federal student debt.

That helps explain why, in a recent Harvard University survey of U.S. residents between 18 and 29 years old, student debt ranked dead last when the pollsters asked respondents which of 16 issues mattered to them. Israel and Palestine ranked 15th of 16. Climate change was 12th — and, again, this was a poll of voters under 30. The top three issues were inflation, health care and housing.

No wonder that student debt is largely missing from these Democratic campaigns, while housing — a cost almost every family faces — is a focus. Senator Jacky Rosen, who’s running for re-election in Nevada, has devoted an entire ad to housing costs. Senator Jon Tester’s campaign lists the “housing crisis” as one of Montana’s biggest problems.