Democrats lead in polls yet face unfavorable online coverage
A Wall Street Journal analysis of thousands of social-media posts found Florida Democratic Senate nominee Angie Nixon drew the most favorable coverage of the 26 Democrats who appeared in more than 30 videos, while Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer drew the most unfavorable coverage of any Democrat in the analysis. The Journal reviewed 8,572 TikTok videos along with podcast episodes and political-news programs aired or published between Sept. 1 and Oct. 9 about 67 Democrats who hold office or want it.
The Wall Street Journal’s analysis, published Oct. 15, examined 8,572 TikTok videos along with podcast episodes and political-news programs aired or published between Sept. 1 and Oct. 9 about 67 Democrats who hold office or want it. Nixon, the progressive Senate nominee challenging Republican Sen. Ashley Moody in November, was portrayed favorably in about 70% of the videos that mentioned her — the highest share of the 26 Democrats who appeared in more than 30 videos. Political podcasters liked her the most; cable news did not — of the programs that discussed her, 15% were favorable, according to the Journal.
What drove Nixon’s TikTok numbers was not her policy platform. Her positions — Medicare for All, universal child care, no corporate PAC money and higher taxes on billionaires — came up less often than her role as a target of right-wing attacks, the Journal reported. Among the most-watched videos praising her, the draw was less about platform specifics and more about attacks on her, and above all an opportunity for creators to deliver a clapback. Right-wing influencer Laura Loomer attacked Nixon using racist terms in late August, and the videos rebutting the attack drew more views than anything else about the candidate.
Nixon, who joined the Democratic Socialists of America this year but has rejected being labeled a socialist, made waves in August when she beat a heavily funded, establishment-backed moderate candidate in Florida’s Democratic Senate primary. Her underdog campaign in red-state Florida has drawn support from progressive icons including Sen. Bernie Sanders (I., Vt.) and Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D., N.Y.).
At the other end of the spectrum, Schumer was portrayed unfavorably in about 57% of the videos about him, the worst of all the Democratic politicians in the Journal’s analysis. The criticisms dealt primarily with his handling of foreign policy, including Israel’s war in Gaza and the Iran war, his neglect of support for insurgent candidates like Nixon, and the general question of whether he will be elected majority leader should Democrats flip the Senate. The pattern held on political podcasts, where Schumer was the most unfavorably portrayed Democrat.
The Journal’s analysis appeared as polls show President Trump’s approval is low and Democrats are favored to win the House and are in contention to flip the Senate — yet that does not mean voters are pleased with the Democratic Party. More than a third of the videos in the review portrayed unfavorable attitudes toward the Democratic Party as a whole, while about 25% were favorable.
A common thread among critics is that the Democratic Party is out of touch, but the framing depended on whom you ask, according to the Journal. Half the videos claiming the party had been overrun by socialists came from conservative media, Republican campaigns and clippers — accounts that repost snippets from other people’s videos. Videos calling for the party to move further to the left were overwhelmingly personal: 83% came from people posting as themselves rather than from an outlet, campaign or organization.
No Democrat drew more total views than Michigan Senate nominee Abdul El-Sayed. The analysis found 41% of the videos about him were favorable, compared with 40% that were neutral and 18% that were unfavorable.
The Journal conducted the review using Doppler News AI, the publication’s in-house tool for tracking what podcasters and social-media creators are talking about. Where Democrats should land on the ideological spectrum has been the subject of much debate, the Journal reported, with the paper noting that “far-left candidates” had scored several wins in Democratic primaries across the country this year. The results have intensified a fight over the party’s future, with progressives pushing for more changes to the economic and political status quo while centrists warn that moving too far to the left could hurt Democrats’ chances in competitive races.
The article was written by computational journalist Brian Whitton and politics reporter Sabrina Rodriguez, both of The Wall Street Journal.