‘Democrats woke a sleeping giant’: Why parents say they’ve had enough

Jennifer Reesman has always been a proud Democrat. A single mother who lives in one of the nation’s bluest counties, she says some of her favorite items of clothing include T-shirts from both Hillary Rodham Clinton’s and Sen. Elizabeth Warren’s presidential campaigns.

But as America enters its third year of the COVID-19 pandemic, Ms. Reesman is actively organizing to vote her local and state Democratic leaders out of office.

“I can’t look my kid in the eye and say I care about your education and vote for the Democrats right now,” says Ms. Reesman, a pediatric neuropsychologist from Rockville, Maryland. “I cannot believe that this is where we are – but it feels personal, and it feels painful.”

In 2020, Democrats won the White House and Senate in part by pitching themselves as the party that would take the pandemic seriously and get it under control. More than 90% of Democratic voters thought precautions like avoiding group gatherings and closing. In crucial swing states, a majority of voters that containing the virus was more important than rebuilding the economy.