Victor Davis Hanson: The Left’s Search for a Working-Class Candidate

What the report says

The Daily Signal published a July 17, 2026 opinion transcript from “Victor Davis Hanson: In His Own Words,” featuring senior contributor Victor Davis Hanson discussing what he described as the Democratic Party’s difficulty appealing to white working-class voters. In the exchange with Sami Winc, Hanson argued that Democrats have moved left since the post-JFK era and have increasingly lost support among white voters without college degrees.

Hanson cited the 2024 electorate as central to his argument, saying white voters without college educations made up 40% of voters and that Donald Trump won 66% of that group. He contended that this leaves Democrats with little room for error and claimed the party is trying to compensate by emphasizing progressive positions on immigration, diversity initiatives, climate policy, criminal justice and social issues rather than changing course.

The commentary also criticized what Hanson portrayed as a gap between left-wing political messaging and the class background of Democratic donors and emerging candidates. He named several wealthy donors and public figures, and referenced a Washington Free Beacon article about “trust fund socialists,” using examples including Zohran Mamdani, Graham Platner and Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez to argue that some candidates marketed as populist or working-class do not fit that image.

Hanson placed the discussion in a broader historical frame, comparing the current Democratic search for more culturally relatable candidates to earlier party choices involving Lyndon Johnson, Jimmy Carter and Bill Clinton. The Daily Signal labeled the piece as opinion and noted that published perspectives do not necessarily represent the outlet’s views.