Outnumbered, Outspent, and Out-Messaged: How Democrats Must Reset Their Communications Strategy To Win The Current Attention Economy

With new leadership at the helm of the Democratic Party, it’s time for a reset—particularly when it comes to how Democrats communicate on immigration. Ken Martin’s election as DNC Chair presents an opportunity to course-correct, but only if Democrats recognize the core issue: Republicans are winning the messaging war—not because they have better policies, but because they control the conversation. They flood TV, social media, and talk radio with a relentless drumbeat of anti-immigrant fearmongering, framing immigration as a national crisis and linking it to crime, economic insecurity, and threats to democracy. Meanwhile, Democrats stay on defense, reacting instead of shaping the debate.

The New York Times recently reported that Democratic governors are pressuring Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer to fight harder against Trump’s extreme agenda. But winning this fight won’t just happen through procedural delays in the Senate or press releases condemning Republican policies. It requires something far more fundamental: Democrats must revolutionize and rev up their entire communications strategy.

Right now, Republicans are outspending, out-organizing, and out-messaging Democrats on immigration. During the 2024 election cycle, GOP-aligned groups spent $573 million on immigration-focused broadcast ads—over five times what Democrats invested. The result? Seven in ten voters recalled seeing an ad about immigration in the final weeks of the election, but the vast majority of those ads were Republican attacks. This information vacuum allowed the right to dominate the public narrative and paint Democrats as weak, ineffective, or complicit in a so-called "border crisis."

Senator Cory Booker recently advised his Democratic colleagues to post more on social media, recommending lawmakers tweet two to five times a day, post on Instagram once or twice daily, and share content on LinkedIn and TikTok. But let’s be clear: tweeting twice a day and posting on Instagram once is not a strategy—it’s a press release on life support.

If Democrats want to counter the GOP’s information monopoly, they need to go bigger, move faster, and push harder. That means embracing Catalyze/Citizens Co-Executive Director Beatriz Lopez’s 4S Strategy—Sequence, Soothe, Saturate, and Sway. More importantly, it means targeting the right voters, on the right platforms, with the right messages.

What We Know About Persuadable Voters

We partnered with Bluelabs Analytics in 2023 to analyze voter attitudes, political engagement, and media consumption. Their findings show that persuadable voters exist—but they are not being reached effectively. Here’s who Democrats should focus on and how to reach them:

• At-Risk Democrats – Young, diverse, urban voters who lean Democratic but are disengaged. They consume TikTok, Instagram, and YouTube but rarely watch traditional news. Messaging should focus on economic security and fairness, connecting immigration to kitchen-table issues.

• Conflicted Democrats – Older, working-class Democrats and union members who feel torn between traditional Democratic values and concerns about immigration. Found on local TV, talk radio, and Facebook. They respond to economic security messaging, framing immigration as a workforce and middle-class strength issue, not just a moral issue.

• Unengaged Youth – A mix of young, working-class, and Latino voters, largely independent or loosely Democratic. They spend the most time on social media and streaming services (YouTube, Hulu, Spotify). They need persuasive, values-based messaging that meets them where they are.

• Immigration Side-Liners – Middle-aged, suburban, and rural voters who are persuadable but not yet solidly supportive. They consume cable news, Facebook, and sports media at higher rates. Messaging should focus on shared values and economic contributions, not just moral appeals.

• Receptive Conservatives – Younger, college-educated, suburban conservatives who are less hostile to immigrants than the broader GOP base. They consume podcasts, TikTok, and Instagram. Messaging should highlight immigrants’ role in job creation and economic growth.

If Democrats want to break through the noise, they must stop relying on broad, generic messaging and start tailoring content to where these persuadable voters actually consume information.

Step 1: Sequence – Meet People Where They Are, Not Where You Want Them to Be

Republicans don’t just run a single message—they build a sustained narrative over time that shapes how voters think. Democrats must do the same. That means producing content that tells a story rather than dropping one-off statements or ads. For example, a voter should first hear about an issue through a short-form TikTok or Instagram reel, then see a more detailed explainer on YouTube, then hear a candidate discuss it in a TV interview, and finally see it reinforced in a political ad. Each piece of content should build on the last, layering messaging to move voters from awareness to persuasion to action.

Step 2: Soothe – Address Concerns, Don’t Just Counter Fear

Republicans weaponize fear, bombarding voters with stories of crime, a so-called “border invasion,” and economic anxiety. Democrats can’t rely on fact-checking alone—fear isn’t defeated by logic. Instead of playing defense, Democrats need to address concerns regarding border safety and economic stability, affirming their commitment to order at the border and framing immigration as a source of national strength. Voters must hear that keeping families together and protecting workers’ rights makes communities safer and economies stronger.

Step 3: Saturate – Pump Out Content at Scale

The GOP dominates media not just because they spend more, but because they repeat their messages relentlessly. Democrats must do the same. Immigration-focused content, especially mass deportation’s impact on the economy, should be everywhere—on TikTok, Instagram, and YouTube daily, with TV and Facebook ads reinforcing the message. This isn’t just about election cycles; Democrats need permanent infrastructure to maintain a steady stream of persuasive content, countering right-wing narratives in real time.

Step 4: Sway – Offer a Future People Want to Believe In

Polling shows that a majority of battleground voters support a pathway to citizenship over mass deportation, but that message hasn’t been repeated enough to make a lasting impact. Instead of letting Trump define immigration as a crisis, Democrats must frame it as a driver of economic growth and national renewal. Rather than reacting to Republican attacks, they should paint a picture of an America where humane immigration policies strengthen democracy and uplift families.

The Bottom Line: Fight Smarter, Harder, and Louder

The GOP has built an attention empire—a relentless machine that dominates the media landscape with a steady drumbeat of fear, disinformation, and repetition. Democrats don’t just need more messaging; they need better, faster, and more strategic messaging.

That means going beyond press releases and panel discussions—it means engaging in a full-scale, coordinated communications offensive built for modern media consumption. This isn’t optional—it’s essential for Democrats to compete in the attention economy and reclaim the immigration narrative.

The question isn’t whether Democrats should fight back. The question is: Are they finally ready to fight to win?