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Things Voters Say: They are telling us something... [1]
['This Content Is Not Subject To Review Daily Kos Staff Prior To Publication.']
Date: 2025-05-21
One of the things i like about knocking on doors — especially early in the cycle — is listening to voters in these Swing States and what they have to say about the Issues of the Day. I’ve done this for awhile. We used an Issues Survey approach to 1st and 2nd round canvassing in 2006 where we won all but one precinct in the area where my DFA group was responsible in a Congressional election and in the Keokuk region in 2007 before the Iowa caucus. As i have said before, it was voter’s repeated use of the phrases “Hope" and “Change” that led to those terms being put on Obama yard signs in Iowa and then becoming the theme of the entire campaign. Voters told us that they wanted to hear the campaigns talk about.
And wise campaigns listen.
As a grassroots organization, Hope Springs from Field PAC [dated website] is definitely paying attention to what our volunteers are thinking and saying. Last week, for the fourth time, we sent out a Volunteer Survey. But it was Joe Biden’s performance in his debate with the felon that really struck a cord. As i’ve said before,
One volunteer messaged me this finale to a spirited discussion: “You are right, Biden is better, but it doesn't mean squat when people see him feeble, optics matter more than facts. I’m not willing to confront that.”
After the debate, we started to track voters who voluntarily told us that Biden was too old. Unsolicited. We weren’t asked to do this, but we certainly let the campaign know the results (they actually asked for it). You can see the results from our first weekend after the debate below:
ISR# = Number of Voters who filled out parts of the Issues Survey
Again, unsolicited.
I don’t think i’ve written about this before here, but i had 6 interactions with President Biden in 2024 before the debate. Campaign meetings. But the point is that the Joe Biden i saw was not intellectually crippled or even slowed. He was what i expected to see, someone who engaged when he wanted, who could still ask piercing questions and insist on complete answers. If he was “protected,” i didn’t know it. Of course, they were all morning meetings. Before most of the Washington press even comes to work.
But the electorate was not exposed to that. We all saw what we saw in that debate performance — and it was a shock. At voter’s doors we found Biden’s job approval take a deep dive:
Here’s the thing — voters don’t mind telling you what they are thinking about. And they still have the ability to surprise even hardened political hands.
Voter concern over tariffs came out of nowhere. It wasn’t even mentioned last year, but, even though no one mentioned tariffs in February (for the FL-06 special election), it was on the minds of voters in Arizona on March 1st and Georgia on March 8th (iow, rising to one of their Top 3 concerns), before just exploding on March 29th. 7 out of 9 states reported that as either the 2nd or 3rd concern of voters that week.
In May, we started to hear from voters about their concern over retaining due process in legal matters. Not just deportations. We heard voters raise the issue in the context of Harvard (!) and free speech. Not free speech connected to colleges, but our right to say what we think or believe.
Standing next to an American flag, one voter asked a volunteer “what does America mean if due process is thrown out the window?” I marvel when i have conversations like this at the door, but more and more, other volunteers are doing so, as well. Although not all the surveys are in the system, 88 voters used the specific term “due process” this week. Granted, we knocked on 296,604 doors, but that’s probably 87 more than we had heard in weeks prior to Armando Abrego Garcia being illegally deported to El Salvador.
But people — voters, at their doors, on a Saturday morning — are questioning whether our democracy will survive. Think about how you are on a Saturday morning, sometimes before you’ve even had your coffee — is the fate of our democracy upmost on your mind?
But due process was not the big winner, so to speak, this week. Again, not all the data is in, but the word “recession” is the surprise term of the week. Unlike due process, we’ve heard voters talk about their fear of a recession coming for years. We classify it as “The Economy,” combining it with other other phrases and sentences in response to our query about the issue most urgently facing our country at this time.
137 people (that volunteers recorded) used the specific word “recession” in response to the second question. It’s the use of that specific term that struck me. Personally, i’ve been far more likely to hear voters say “I’m afraid for the economy,” or “I’m scared I’m (or a family member) going to lose my job,” than to hear a voter talk about fear for the economy. Recession is such a general term, and voters don’t usually think that way (again, in my experience at their doors). When voters respond to these questions about the country, or their state or their local area, they usually speak in terms of themselves, their experience or their family. Kitchen table issues. Things that are affecting them right then.
“I see a storm coming,” was how one voter put it. When i asked what he meant, that’s when he used to “R-word.” “I was hoping for another ‘roaring 20s,’ not another recession.”
Things voters say.
Hope Springs from Field PAC began knocking on doors again on March 1st. We target Democrats and unaffiliated voters with a systematic approach that reminds them not only that Democrats care, but Democrats are determined to deliver the best government possible to all Americans. The voters we talk to continue to tell us they come away more invested in governance and feel more favorably towards Democrats in general because of our approach.
Obviously, we rely on grassroots support, so if you support field/grassroots organizing, voter registration (and follow-up) and our efforts to protect our voters, we would certainly appreciate your support:
https://secure.actblue.com/donate/hopemobilization Hope Springs from Field understands that volunteer to voter personal interactions are critical. Knocking on doors has repeatedly been found to be the most successful tactic to get voters to cast a ballot and that is the goal of what we do.
The question i was asked this week that stayed with me was the voter question about shock and awe. “If we continue to be bombarded with all these controversies, can Democrats keep up?” I didn’t have a response (i kinda figured it was a rhetorical question), but not because we train volunteers to let voters talk. I didn’t have an answer. And if she was looking for reassurance, I had none to provide.
As concerned as voters are over president felon, we are also hearing voter concern over the Democrats, as well. In talking over organizational issues with other organizers, this is something that we are hearing about from volunteers, simply put: “I can only hope Democrats nominate someone that I can vote for.” One of the reasons this is a matter of discussion is the fact we don’t exactly know what this means. It’s not like this is universally the position of the progressive or moderate voters. One of the things i talk about in post-election analysis, after talking to voters after they’ve voted, is hearing the preference of their wanting to see themselves in the candidate. It’s why i talk about how important it is for Democratic tickets to be balanced — something that is not exactly easy to do. But it matters to voters. And it’s not just a visual thing. Bernie Sanders is a perfect example of how how he looks is less important to his supporters than what he says. To voters, both things matter. Message doesn’t trump optics, but message matters.
That’s a huge reason why Early Organizing is important. Do you know what the winning message is for 2026 or 2028? If you would have asked me a month ago, i would have noted that Elon Musk and DOGE would be central here. But voters are rapidly losing interest in that. Only in Michigan (on May 10th) did 50% of the voters express an opinion about Musk or DOGE. In Nevada, only 34% of voters had an opinion, favorable or unfavorable. How quickly thinks change.
So focusing a campaign message around “the Trump-Musk criminal regime” may not have the impact next November that it had a month ago.
But here’s the thing: even as the subject matter changes, Hope Springs volunteers are still getting positive feedback from voters about just showing up. “You never see Democrats out here,” as one voter put it. MAGA and their elk are visibly present in their area, and someone has to stand as the bulwark against that invasion. This is where Hope Springs from Field shines. It’s not in the asking the questions, it’s the data that gets entered into VAN (the shared Democratic database) that can be modeled and even introduced into AI that matters. The data we collect now can provide macro and micro targeting in the next election. And it perks up the voters we talk to. “This is what you want to ask,” a voter said as he looked over the Issues Survey (we offer it up in our pitch to negate fears of being asked awkward questions). “Go ahead!”
Hope Springs has been called “the most comprehensive, organized grassroots voter contact project out there right now. It is truly astonishing that it is grassroots-based!” Not sure why it is “astonishing,” but i probably have more faith in grassroots or self-organized efforts because of my experience with Barack Obama’s early days in 2007.
If you are able to support Hope Springs from Field’s efforts to protect Democratic voters, especially in minority communities, expand the electorate, and believe in grassroots efforts to increase voter participation and election protection, we would appreciate your support:
https://secure.actblue.com/donate/hopemobilization
If you would rather send a check, you can follow that link for our mailing address at the bottom of the page. Thank you for your support. This work depends upon you!
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