Working-class voters have emerged as one of the most fiercely contested groups in American politics, but a new survey suggests that neither Republicans nor Democrats have convinced them that their promises are genuine.
According to results from The POLITICO Poll, 55% of Americans believe politicians who say they want to help the working class are primarily trying to win votes. This skepticism crosses political lines, with majorities of voters who backed President Donald Trump and former Vice President Kamala Harris sharing that view.
Among Americans who identify as working class, only one in four believe politicians genuinely want to help people like them. The findings highlight the challenge facing both parties ahead of the November midterm elections, when economic concerns are expected to play a central role.
Neither Party Holds Decisive Edge
The poll found that 38% of working-class voters believe Democrats best represent their interests, compared with 32% who chose Republicans. Among Americans overall, 37% said Democrats better represent the working class, while 30% favored Republicans.
A 59% majority of Americans say the term "working class" describes them, yet when asked to choose from a list of labels including wealthy, middle class, lower middle class, working class, and poor, just 16% selected working class.
For Democrats, these numbers come amid an internal debate over how to reconnect with voters who have moved toward the GOP as the Democratic coalition has become increasingly reliant on college-educated Americans.
"We've struggled with the working class for quite a while and it's been a combination of being out of touch with working class values on a lot of culture issues and being seen as either not helpful or not helpful enough on economic issues," Jim Kessler, executive vice president for policy at the centrist Democratic think tank Third Way, told POLITICO.
Progressives argue that their economic agenda offers a stronger route back. Sen. Bernie Sanders, , told POLITICO that progressives are "speaking to the needs of working families," pointing to issues including universal health care. "There are a lot of working-class Republicans who understand that there's something wrong when we are the only major nation on Earth not to guarantee health care to all people," he added.
Republicans Face Economic Discontent
Republicans, meanwhile, are trying to hold onto the gains Trump made in 2024 with working-class voters, including Black and Latino voters frustrated with the Biden-era economy, at a time when the cost of living remains voters' top concern.
The poll indicates that the president faces particular challenges on economic issues. A 35% plurality of self-identified working-class Americans say Trump is fully responsible for the current economy, while half say he has spent too much time focused on international affairs rather than domestic issues.
Former Rep. Jim Renacci, a Republican, said working-class voters are unhappy with the president. "With the [Iran] war, with gas prices, with cost of food, the working class is not happy with the president, and many who are independents and even some Republicans have said that he's forgotten about them," he said.
Republican Sen. Susan Collins has broken with Trump on tariff policy, saying it hurts working families and small businesses.
Struggling to Connect
The survey suggests that the working-class label itself carries complexity. More than a third of working-class Americans say they are not currently employed, and the polling data underscores a broader disconnect between how Americans view the working class and how they see themselves.
As both parties compete for this pivotal voting bloc, the findings indicate that neither has yet offered a message that resonates deeply with those who feel left behind. The challenge is particularly acute for Democrats, who have struggled with working-class voters on cultural and economic fronts, and for Republicans, who must balance Trump's appeal with economic anxieties simmering among the very voters they won over.