Report Published January 21, 2026 · 2 minute read
The Fighter Americans Want
Third Way
Third Way and Worthy Strategy Group worked together over the fall to conduct a study that investigated how voters define strength and effectiveness, and what they want to see when it comes to fighting in today's political reality. We used a metaphor elicitation technique with 36 registered voters across the seven swing states (Arizona, Georgia, Michigan, Nevada, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, and Wisconsin), spanning four generations and ranging from Moderately Conservative to Very Liberal. Before their 90-minute in-depth interviews, participants spent several hours gathering images that resonated with them. This approach bypasses socially acceptable answers and partisan talking points, revealing the raw, unvarnished truth of what people actually think and feel.
Democracy is crumbling, the planet is burning, families are drowning in inequality, rights are vanishing—yet politics carries on like it's business as usual. Voters are sending Democrats a clear message: act like you believe it's a crisis, bring new leadership that feels the urgency, grow a spine, be the opposition Republicans fear, and start acting like you represent the people who put you in office.
When leaders fight from love with strength, fear gives way to safety, chaos to stability, and politics becomes something Americans do together again—where people can finally sleep, the social fabric begins to heal, and hope and faith in one another return.
