Fetterman Blames Democrats' Anti-Men Rhetoric for Loss of Young Male Voters

Sen. John Fetterman, D-Pa., said Democrats alienated young male voters by increasingly portraying men as "part of the problem" during a discussion on Real Time with Bill Maher alongside Rep. Dan Crenshaw, R-Texas, and Donna Brazile.

The conversation covered masculinity, parenting and the Democratic Party's struggles with working-class men. "Well, without a doubt, though you know there's part of the Democratic Party became more and more anti-men or describing that they were part of the problem, or they have toxic traits," Fetterman said.

"And that's why there's been such a big, big migration away from the Democratic Party from young men, and that's really why, one of the parts why we lost in 2024."

Host Bill Maher started the talk by asking Fetterman about a statistic showing men are nearly twice as likely as women to live with their parents in the current economy.

Fetterman later said Democrats have lost the vote of traditional union workers and male voters. "You talk to any of the traditional union members that are men. You know, they — we've lost them a long time ago."

He argued Democrats cannot rebuild support among male voters by blaming them for broader societal problems. "Now if you identify anyone as the problem or blame them for some things, then you're going to lose," Fetterman said.

Brazile acknowledged concerns about young men struggling socially and economically but noted women historically faced similar barriers. "Look, I've been a part-time college professor for 33 years. There is something going on with young men in our country," she said. "They are reticent, many of them are holding back, and we need to address that."

"I think they don't know their place anymore and that's something that men need to decide and discuss, but as a woman for years, decades, centuries, women had to be overconfident just to appear qualified."

Brazile rejected the idea that women were responsible for young men's frustrations. "I don't want men to think that the reason why young men are suffering is because some woman," she said. "Young men are dealing with what young women had to deal with centuries ago."

Crenshaw argued cultural and parenting differences contribute to divides in political groups and attitudes toward masculinity. "I'm not a fan of gentle parenting," he said while discussing discipline and household expectations. "It seems to be more acceptable to say that in the Black community than the White community to be able to say, ‘Yes, my parents whooped me.’"

Fetterman said Democrats have been losing working-class male voters for years, dating back to President Donald Trump’s rise in 2016. "I've witnessed that migration away from the Democratic Party starting back in 2016," he said. "We really have to find a way to bring them back and make better arguments without blaming them or describing they are the problem."