Dear DNC: Create a National Task Force on Men
An open letter to the new leadership at the DNC
To my loyal readers: I’m sharing with you a message I have sent to leadership at the Democratic National Committee (DNC) who control the Democratic Party. I will let you know if they respond.
Also, if you know of someone connected to the DNC who would be receptive to this idea, please feel free to forward this message and reach out to me. Thanks.
Dear DNC: Create a National Task Force on Men
To the DNC Leadership: Chair Ken Martin, Vice Chairs Artie Blanco, Malcolm Kenyatta, David Hogg, Reyna Walters-Morgan, ASDC President Jane Fleming Kleeb, and all others in DNC leadership,
Congratulations to the new leadership team at the DNC. Chair Martin and team, you have your work cut out for you!
I’m writing because as a registered Democrat of 35 years, I would like to suggest the DNC create a National Task Force on Men, and I’m offering my services to lead the task force.
The Problem: Democrats Consistently Trail
Among Men
Democrats have consistently been performing significantly worse among men than women for decades. This fact is known as the voting gender gap, and it is present among all demographics. There has been a small amount of acknowledgment regarding the voting patterns of certain subgroups of men. For instance, the recent loss of young men to the right has been noted by many pundits (including myself). But it's not just young men that the Democrats alienate, it's all men. It's just that these young men are the latest to shift allegiances to the Republicans. Here is the 2024 presidential election exit poll data for men grouped by age:
Source: nbcnews.com/politics/20…
It’s the middle-aged men, 45-64, that are by far the farthest right-leaning — an astounding R+20!! This figure should be setting off alarm bells at the DNC. Overall, Republicans won men by 12 points according to the same exit poll. With a deficit like this, Democrats face a huge hurdle in trying to take back the White House, Senate, House of Representatives, and ultimately influence the appointment of Supreme Court justices.
The Issues: Men’s Poor Social Outcomes
As I’ve written in my book How Democrats Can Win Back Men and in my Substack blog “Men and the 2024 Election,” there are many social issues affecting boys and men deserving attention that fall completely in line with Democratic values. Here are just a few:
Men are now dying 5.9 years earlier than women yet are less likely to be covered by health insurance
Men and boys are falling behind in education and comprise only about 40% of college students
Men are 93% of the incarcerated, a poor social outcome to be avoided, in a nation with one of the highest incarceration rates in the world
Men are much more likely to die of suicide, homicide, opioid overdose, and alcohol-related deaths1
The Reason Men Turn Away:
Men Feel Ignored by Democrats
I have documented in my book and on my blog how despite these and many more social ills, men’s issues have been largely absent in Democratic messaging. Men and boys are largely if not completely ignored in the Democratic Party Platforms (going back years), the Democratic Party’s national website, state Democratic sites, representative sites, in the 2025 proposed budget, the 2024 State of the Union address, and in most communications regarding the 2024 election. Democratic messaging at times is even perceived as hostile toward men by many voters.
It’s time for this to change and for the Democrats to win back men.
The First Step Toward a Solution:
A DNC National Task Force on Men
With brutal losses at the ballot box in 2024 and new leadership in the DNC in 2025, now is the time for a DNC National Task Force on Men and a new strategy to appeal to male voters. At this point, what do you have to lose? Please contact me to discuss more details about how this task force can help support Democratic success both at the ballot box and in shaping better policy for all Americans. I look forward to hearing from you and would welcome the opportunity to walk you through my plan and how I can facilitate a new approach to appealing to all voters by including everyone in Democratic policy and messaging.
Sincerely,
Mark W. Sutton
San Francisco, CA
mark@mark-sutton.com
For data sources, please see my book How Democrats Can Win Back Men.
Great letter, Mark. Let's hope there is enough gender and viewpoint diversity in the party to recognize the need for more. Good luck!
I hope they respond to you, and I really hope they take you up on your offer!