CNN hosts on Wednesday discussed the Democratic National Convention’s efforts to appeal to men who are less “testosterone-laden,” highlighting how the party is adjusting its approach for the 2024 election. The conversation, led by Jake Tapper and Dana Bash, focused on the gender gap in American politics and how Democrats are navigating this divide.
“The gender gap in American politics has been trending very strongly for years. But this year, at least according to polls, it is so strong,” Tapper remarked. “The women vote is overwhelmingly for Harris. The male vote, overwhelmingly for Trump, though not as much.”
Bash concurred and pointed out that the Democrats are employing a different strategy than in 2016, the last time a woman led their ticket.
“Yes, and there’s the gender gap, then there’s the idea that for the last month, the Democratic Party has been rallying around a woman at the top of the ticket,” Bash explained. “Which is—the only other time they did it was in 2016. And it has been noteworthy to see how they are learning about what to do and how to confront Donald Trump as the opponent to a woman. 2016 and now, very different campaigns, very different female candidates.”
This time around, Bash noted, Democrats are trying to connect with men who might not fit the traditional masculine mold often associated with Republican voters. “But they are doing so by putting forward male figures—Tim Walz being one of them, Doug Emhoff last night—who can speak to men out there who might not be the sort of testosterone-laden, y’know, gun-toting kind of guy who wants to listen to Hulk Hogan and the kind of players that came out at the RNC or might want to listen to that,” she said.
Bash emphasized that the Democrats are promoting the idea that “it’s okay in 2024 to be a man comfortable in his own skin who supports a woman,” a message they are hoping will resonate with male voters beyond their traditional base.
Tapper agreed, noting their earlier discussion about “different definitions of masculinity in 2024 and what we saw at the Trump convention,” recalling how someone described the RNC as “’testosterone-y’ with Kid Rock and the Ultimate Fighting Champion guy [Dana White] and Hulk Hogan.”
The conversation highlighted the contrasting approaches between the two parties, with Democrats aiming to redefine masculinity in a way that aligns with their broader electoral goals, particularly in reaching out to male voters who may not feel represented by the more traditionally masculine images projected at the Republican National Convention.