Following major setbacks with male voters in the 2024 election cycle, Democratic operatives are pouring $20 million into a research project aimed at understanding how to better communicate with American men, particularly younger voters.

The effort was titled “Speaking with American Men: A Strategic Plan”, says Fox News. Known internally as “SAM,” the initiative will study “the syntax, language and content that gains attention and virality in these spaces,” focusing on how Democrats can reach young male demographics. It also recommends placing pro-Democrat messaging inside video games.

This development comes as part of broader Democratic efforts to recover after a rough election year. President Donald Trump won all seven battleground states and Democrats are now scrambling to replace Joe Biden as their nominee with just over 100 days until the next election.

“The Democratic Party’s tarnished image could not come at a more inopportune moment,” the New York Times reported. “In this era of political polarization, the national party’s brand is more important and influential than ever, often driving the outcomes of even the most local of races.”

The plan is being met with criticism from both political allies and opponents. Democratic strategist Michael Ceraso told Fox News Digital he supports engaging voters but finds the current approach disconnected from everyday Americans. “I just don’t understand how, after all these years and all these Democrats who’ve been in the game, how we continue to make those same choices,” Ceraso said. “Like Rahm Emmanuel, or all these sort of big names, they’re just like, ‘Yeah, we’re going to figure out how to win in, you know, rural North Carolina by hanging out in a New York hotel.’ That makes no sense to me.”

“We’re having an issue with the messenger more than the message,” he added, pointing out that Democratic policies remain popular but fail in presentation. “Democrats just need to take a reality check.”

Voter data from 2024 shows where Democrats struggled. A November 2024 Fox News Voter Survey found 53% of men aged 18–44 supported Trump, compared to 45% for Vice President Kamala Harris. The Associated Press reported that over half of male voters under 30 chose Trump, including about six in ten white men in that age group. Roughly a third of young Black men and around half of young Latino men also backed Trump, with both groups showing about a 20-point increase in support for Trump compared to 2020.

In response to the SAM project, Rotimi Adeoye, a contributor for MSNBC, criticized the strategy on social media. “Democratic donors treating men like an endangered species on a remote island they need to study probably won’t rebuild trust,” Adeoye posted on X. “This kind of top-down, anthropological approach misses the point: people don’t want to be decoded, they want to be understood and met where they are.”

He added, “The idea that you can ‘fix’ the male voter problem that exists with Black, Latino, and white men by spending $20 million to study their syntax like they’re a foreign culture is exactly why there’s a disconnect. These voters aren’t a research subject. They’re citizens.”

The SAM project’s approach has sparked online backlash from both sides of the aisle, with some arguing the party is overcomplicating what should be basic voter outreach.

In the meantime, Democratic operatives and donors have reportedly been gathering at upscale venues to develop new strategies for winning back working-class and male voters.