The Altum Insight Podcast: Ohio, we have a problem

THE Ohio survey

In Episode 7 of the Altum Insight Podcast, hosts Adrianne Marsh and Frank A. Spring parse the findings from their newest qualitative study in Ohio. Gathering 117 hours of deep qualitative feedback from 353 respondents, the research focused on what voters are actually feeling, why they feel that way, and how they make sense of current political realities.

The study intentionally oversampled Black voters (141 respondents) to capture underrepresented voices, offering a rare, textured look into how different demographics view the state of the country.

As the study found, the vibes are bad. Real bad. The underlying reasons why reveal critical blind spots for political strategists and the Democratic Party heading into this fall and future election cycles.

Systemic failure overshadows cost of living

While traditional public polling consistently places economic hardship and inflation at the top of voter concerns, our study revealed a different primary driver: a overwhelming sense that the political system itself has collapsed.

74% of conversations focused on a profound dysfunction in politics, government, and systems of power.
35% of conversations brought up cost of living, but almost always as a symptom of systemic political failure rather than an isolated issue.

"What we found was that failure of politics and governance—that is the sense that there is a profound dysfunction in our systems of power—was the dominant issue that people wanted to talk about by a very significant margin... Cost of living and economic hardship did appear, but almost always as a function of that political failure."

— Frank A. Spring

Voters do not process issue categories in isolated silos. Instead, they view economic struggles as the direct result of a corrupt, broken power structure that no longer serves them.

A tale of two core narratives: the partisan version vs. systemic collapse

When explaining why things have gotten so bad, respondents split into two main narrative frameworks:

The Partisan Narrative (42%): A framework attributing the country's dysfunction to Donald Trump and the Republican Party. However, even within this group, respondents often viewed Trump as a symptom of systemic degradation rather than the sole cause.
The Systemic Collapse Narrative (35–40%): A non-partisan belief that the entire system—including both major parties, economic structures, and institutions—is fundamentally corrupt and failing.

"Voters live in a world of cause and effect. They don't live in a world where costs just went up one day and that's weird... They will develop explanations. If you speak to the effect without speaking to the cause, you're not talking to them in the way that they are talking to themselves."

— Frank A. Spring

Democrats Are "Hanging on by a Thread" with Black Voters

One of the study's most striking findings was the deep rift in political experience among Black respondents—particularly across generational and gender lines. While Black Boomers generally maintained an intact Democratic identity, Gen X and Millennial Black women strongly aligned with the systemic collapse narrative.

Key observations included:

Widespread Discontent: 94% of Gen X Black respondents reported that life is worse now than it was two years ago.
Rejection of Standard Partisan Arguments: Black Gen X and Millennial women are largely unimpressed by standard "Democrats good, Republicans bad" messaging.
Risk of Apathy Over Party Switching: While these voters express contempt for the Republican Party, they do not view the Democratic Party as a meaningful alternative. The primary risk isn't that they will vote Republican—it's that they will tune out and disengage entirely.

The Brand Problem: Weak, Inept, and Complicit

Across this study and Altum's previous research, a consistent brand perception plagues the Democratic Party: voters frequently view it as weak, inept, and ill-defined.

Because Democrats have held power for significant stretches during decades of worsening income inequality and systemic erosion, voters view the party as complicit in the status quo. This explains why insurgent figures who challenge the establishment (such as Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez or Bernie Sanders) often resonate more strongly with disaffected voters than traditional party leaders.

Lessons for Strategists

To rebuild trust and connect with voters who feel abandoned by broken systems, the Altum team emphasized a few fundamental shifts in campaign strategy:

Acknowledge Party Complicity: Validating voters' anger requires admitting where the party has fallen short in the past. Humility builds a foundation for trust.
Stop Centering Donald Trump: For voters operating under a systemic collapse narrative, Donald Trump is not the root disease—he is merely a symptom. Messaging must address broader structural failures.
Position the Party as a Tool, Not the Hero: Campaigns must shift away from positioning the party as the sole agent of good and instead present it as a tool in the hands of working people.

As the team concluded, "Humility invites grace. Anything that takes the Democratic Party out of the central role as the single agent of doing good things and places it as an instrument in the hands of the people is the right direction to be heading."

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