The plight of boys and men is now a priority for Democrats

For Democrats, reaching male voters became a political necessity after last fall’s election, when young men swung significantly toward President Donald Trump.

But for some — like Maryland Gov. Wes Moore — it’s also a personal goal. The first-term governor, who has spoken about his own struggles as a teenager, recently announced plans to direct his “entire administration” to find ways to help struggling boys and men. 

“The well-being of our young men and boys has not been a societal priority,” Moore said in an interview. “I want Maryland to be the one that is aggressive and unapologetic about being able to address it and being able to fix it.” 

Moore’s not the only Democrat vowing to help boys and men.  

In her State of the State address, Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer shared plans to help boost young men’s enrollment in higher education and skills training. And Connecticut Gov. Ned Lamont announced what he called “a DEI initiative, which folks on both sides of the aisle may appreciate,” to get more men into teaching. 

The announcements come at a critical time. Researchers have argued that the widening gender gap reflects a crisis that, if not addressed, could push men toward extremism. And Democratic pollsters fret that if liberal politicians, in particular, do not address these issues, the party is at risk of losing more men to the GOP. 

“When Trump talks about fixing the economy and being strong, they hear someone who gets it,” said John Della Volpe, director of polling at Harvard Kennedy School’s Institute of Politics, and an adviser to Joe Biden’s 2020 presidential campaign. “That doesn’t mean they trust him. But it does mean he’s speaking to their reality in a way most Democrats aren’t.” 

On the campaign trail, Kamala Harris often spoke about issues of importance to women, emphasizing reproductive rights, for instance, and paid family leave policies. But soul-searching over her loss has prompted Democrats to reach out more aggressively to men, by engaging more with sports, for instance, and looking for ways to make the party seem less “uncool” to young voters. 

Shauna Daly, a Democratic strategist and co-founder of the Young Men Research Project, said candidates need to do more than show young men that they can hang. “Where the Democratic Party has really fallen short with this cohort is that they don’t feel like Democrats are fighting for them,” she said. 

They need policies like those the governors have proposed, Daly said, that address men’s tangible problems.

In every state, women earn more college degrees than men. Boys are more likely to be disciplined in class, and less likely to graduate high school on time than girls. Men die by suicide at higher rates than women and are more likely to rely on illicit drugs and alcohol. And while women increasingly participate in the workforce at higher rates, men have steadily dropped out of the labor market.  

The governors’ speeches touched on many of these issues, and earned cautious applause from masculinity researchers, who said they reflected a promising shift.  

“I think it’s part of a growing recognition among Democrats that neglecting the problems of boys and men is neither good policy nor good politics,” said Richard Reeves, founder of the American Institute for Boys and Men, who has informally advised Moore’s staff. “If Democrats weren’t thinking about male voters, and especially young male voters, then it would be a pretty serious dereliction of duty, looking at the polls.”  

In the past, Democrats might have been wary of targeting programs toward boys and men for fear of excluding girls. Whitmer seemed aware of this dynamic in her speech, when she followed her announcement about young men with a shoutout to women and a vow not to abandon her “commitment to equal opportunity and dignity for everyone.”  

A handful of other states, including some run by Republican governors, have already launched initiatives targeting men in recent years. Utah established a task force that aims to help “men and boys lead flourishing lives,” and North Dakota created the position of a men’s health coordinator to study and raise awareness of disparities affecting men. 

Moore said he was partly inspired by his own experience growing up in the Bronx after his father passed. He has described how troubles in his youth — including a brush with the police for vandalism, skipping school and getting poor grades — led his mother to send him away to military school, which he credits with helping him straighten up.  

“It is very personal for me, because I was one of those young men and boys that we’re trying to reach,” he said. “And I felt like so many of the conversations that were being had about me were not being had with me.” 

Moore will hold a cabinet meeting in April to discuss plans for the state agencies, but he has some initial goals: to encourage more men in his state to pursue jobs in education and health care, help boys within the juvenile justice system, and make sure he solicits input from boys and men on how the initiatives are designed. 

For Della Volpe, from the Harvard Kennedy School, the governors’ announcements are encouraging. “The truth is, young men are speaking,” he said. “They’ve been telling us they want respect, opportunity, and strength. If Democrats don’t listen — and act — they’ll keep losing ground. But this moment offers hope.”