Democratic campaigns in the Sun Belt are being urged to double down on populist affordability messages that link corporate power and corruption to rising household costs. A Way To Win memo targets six competitive states—North Carolina, Texas, Georgia, Mississippi, Arizona and Nevada—and cites polling showing a 59% to 37% advantage for a populist framing. Strategists say this approach resonates with disaffected Democrats, independents and some Republican-leaning voters, though mentioning Trump can sometimes be polarizing.
Democrats’ Sun Belt Playbook: Double Down On Populism And Affordability
Democratic candidates like Texas state Rep. James Talarico, left, and Georgia Sen. Jon Ossoff, right, have built surprising leads in their competitive races with a healthy dose of populist rhetoric linking government corruption to higher costs. Getty Images
Democratic candidates in the Sun Belt are finding success by foregrounding populist messages that link political corruption and concentrated wealth to everyday cost pressures. A new memo from Way To Win, a network of progressive donors, urges campaigns in six competitive southern and western states to amplify affordability and accountability themes in the closing weeks of the midterm cycle.
What Way To Win Recommends
The memo counsels candidates in North Carolina, Texas, Georgia, Mississippi, Arizona and Nevada to "take up a populist mantle on affordability by promising to use the government as a tool of accountability for the ultra-rich." It argues that framing government as a check on concentrated wealth—rather than merely defending big government—better persuades persuadable voters across diverse Sun Belt electorates.
Polling Snapshot
Way To Win's survey, overseen by Democratic pollster Celinda Lake, found that voters were more receptive to a populist diagnosis of national problems than to a set of GOP framings focused on government spending, immigration, cultural issues and diversity initiatives. The poll favored the populist view 59% to 37% and cited a specific line used in messaging that claims the richest 1% "have taken $79 trillion in wealth from 90% of Americans over the past few decades."
"I think we have a lot of individual candidates who are meeting the moment," said Celinda Lake, who led the survey work. She added that while many candidates already emphasize corruption and affordability, the wider party apparatus should adopt a stronger anti-corporate stance.
"We're getting a lot of buy-in even from voters in more Republican-leaning districts, regions and states," said Jenifer Fernandez Ancona, Way To Win's chief strategy officer, describing the message's reach beyond traditional Democratic constituencies.
How Candidates Should Use The Message
Campaign strategists quoted in the memo say the same affordability and anti-corruption language appeals to disaffected Democrats who might otherwise sit out, independents, and some swing or Republican-leaning voters. They caution, however, that explicitly invoking former President Donald Trump can be needlessly polarizing in some districts; in those places, focusing on "corporate villains" and concrete affordability solutions may be more effective.
Examples cited include Texas state Rep. James Talarico and Georgia Sen. Jon Ossoff, both of whom have used populist rhetoric tying corruption to cost-of-living concerns and have seen surprising strength in competitive contests.
Bottom Line
Way To Win's central advice is clear: in a closely contested midterm environment across the Sun Belt, Democratic campaigns should lean into populist, affordability-focused messaging and present government as a tool to hold concentrated wealth accountable—while tailoring references to partisan figures like Trump to local political realities.
Help us improve.
