Democrats Must Redirect Funding Away From Straight White Men to Win Midterms
A new audit by Democracy in Color finds Democratic campaign spending heavily favors straight white men, urging a shift toward women, people of color and young voters to improve election odds.
Democracy in Color’s latest SWAMP audit documents a pronounced preference for straight white men within Democratic campaign structures, despite people of color comprising roughly half of the party’s electorate. All senior positions in the DNC, DSCC and DCCC are held by white individuals, 67 percent of whom are men, and 89 percent of the top 100 consulting vendors are white-owned, with 57 percent led by white men. The analysis highlights that the party’s $2.3 billion spending plan for 2024 allocates $1.1 billion to persuasion ads, yet only $64 million goes to field and voter mobilization, resulting in a $17.70 spend for each swing-voter dollar versus a modest cost for mobilizing base voters.
Case studies from Pennsylvania, Texas and Georgia illustrate how targeted mobilization of Black and Latino voters could have flipped races. The report calls for capping spending on straight white men at their 29 percent share of the electorate and directing the remaining funds to women, people of color and young voters, arguing that this rebalancing is essential to win the midterms and curb authoritarian trends.
Why it matters
The audit shows how internal bias in spending could cost Democrats crucial votes in upcoming elections.
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