Dealignment: What Is It and Why Does It Matter?
All of a sudden, mainstream politicians and pundits are talking about class dealignment in American elections. We at Jacobin have published on dealignment for years — and wrote a short guide about why it’s such a pressing political issue.
A linemen repairs electric lines in the aftermath of Hurricane Milton in Siesta Key, Florida, on October 10, 2024. (Chandan Khanna / AFP via Getty Images)
Amid mounting evidence that declining support among working-class voters — particularly working-class voters of color — played a major role in Kamala Harris’s defeat, many commentators have started to reflect on how this shift happened and what Democrats can do to win back this crucial demographic in the future. But Jacobin and the Center for Working-Class Politics (CWCP) have been sounding the alarm about working-class dealignment for years and have produced a wide range of insights that can help answer these questions.
Below is an essential list of our works on class dealignment and how the Left can respond.
Broad Overview of Class Dealignment
For a general overview of the evidence for dealignment and a survey of the most prominent approaches to understanding how it can be addressed, start with my essay “Class Dealignment Is the Defining Political Challenge of Our Time.” If you are interested in the specific question of dealignment among voters without a four-year college degree, you can find a short summary in “A Matter of Degrees.”
Sorry, but this article is available to active subscribers only. Please log in or become a subscriber.