Matt Royer 🤘🏼

The Republican laser focus on Trans issues is continuing to backfire as a new Emerson Poll shows that less than a third of voters considering it most important and less than half consider it important at all.

But would you look at that: Economy is at the top:

Amazing difference 8 years can make

Political Cage Matches Will the kayfabe of political theater ever be too much, or will all the true believers take over?

Politics isn’t broken—it’s kayfabe. Faces vs. heels. Heroes vs. villains. Trump is the main event, but the violence is real. 🎭💥

Read more: open.substack.com/pub/bythebal...

The Myth of the Perfect Candidate We’re chasing ghosts with impossible litmus tests

We don’t need “perfect” candidates. We need candidates who fight for people, lead with integrity, and deliver policy that improves lives. Stop chasing ghosts.
👉 open.substack.com/pub/bythebal...

Really awesome to hear from Matt about youth voters. Because clearly we need to have a discussion as a party.

In this video, James talks with Former Virginia Young Democrats President, and author of Substack “By the Ballot,” about what the Democratic Party needs to do to reach young voters. They engage in a… Matt Royer Discusses what Democrats Need to do to Reach Young Voters.

When teenage boys mess up, our instinct is to jump down their throats. But I’ve seen how that outrage feeds the pipeline: extremists tell them people will hate you, yell at you, and try to silence you. That anger just proves them right.

I talk about it on #JamesPod:

It’s All Semantics When we get weighed down by words, we lose the meaning of our message.

Democrats don’t lose because of words. We lose because we let the Right define our narrative. It’s time to stop chasing “magic words” and start talking like real people. ✊

📝 New in By the Ballot: It’s All Semantics

Special Post: JamesPod w/ James Abrenio Guest Appearance on JamesPod 08/26/2025

We debate bathrooms more than we debate guns in schools. That’s not by accident — it’s a distraction.

🚨 I joined @jamesabrenio.bsky.social on the latest #JamesPod, I to call out how Republicans hijack the narrative & how Democrats should fight back. 🎧 open.substack.com/pub/bythebal...

If we could get this kind of investment in community building infrastructure and organizing for Democrats in areas to build a sustained party machine instead of just making meme content, we could see momentum and power that would last much longer than the latest internet fad or viral TikTok sound.

A Dark Money Group Is Secretly Funding High-Profile Democratic Influencers An initiative aimed at boosting Democrats online offers influencers up to $8,000 a month to push the party line. All they have to do is keep it secret—and agree to restrictions on their content.

If only we could use this money to do something else instead of paying these influencers to push centrist talking points.

Easily can say that this will just create more content for Boomers to share on FB and not bring in any new voters from the next generation. Stop. www.wired.com/story/dark-m...

When are we going to talk about the people who are for” protecting students” and “parents rights to not have their kids be political pawns” and “keeping politics out of schools” are always making their children and others’ into national spectacles and schools into battlegrounds for culture wars?

Spam PACs Raise Money by Deceiving Seniors. One 89-year-old woman made 7,532 donations totaling $68,666

Similar to what I said about these spammy tactics: the “400% matches”, the negative doom and gloom rhetoric, and donation shaming tactics that Dems have adopted from these Scam PACS are disrespecting our donors at best and taking advantage of digital-illiterate seniors at worst.
bit.ly/45Xg2Tn

Did a double take when I saw Wilson Hall in my Bluesky feed. Fellow JMU alumnus @mattroyer.bsky.social wrote a good read about universities in red districts, and how to use them to flip those districts.

Back to School: Flipping Districts 101 Why College Campuses Are Key to Flipping State Legislature Districts

College students are literally drawn into districts—but are not always registered to vote there.

Want to flip a red district? Start with campus housing.

Here’s how it can continue to work in Virginia—and how to copy/paste it nationwide: open.substack.com/pub/bythebal...

Ranked Choice Voting Just Makes Sense 🤷‍♂️ More options. Less negativity. Real representation.

"The fact is, our electoral system is not perfect. We have room to grow to build a democracy that is more representative and reflective of those who live in it.

That is why #RankedChoiceVoting should be adopted in the U.S."

– @mattroyer.bsky.social

🚨 Democrats: You don’t need a $20M study or your own Joe Rogan to reach young men.

You need to show up.

Real organizing > influencer content.
Conversations > content.
Trust > trends.

🧵 New with ‪@gurtling.bsky.social‬. Why Dems keep getting this wrong ⬇️ open.substack.com/pub/bythebal...

Democrats’ pick to replace Rep. Connolly wants to carry forward his legacy James Walkinshaw, a Fairfax supervisor who served as the late lawmaker’s chief of staff, won a primary to replace him in Virginia’s 11th Congressional District.

I had the pleasure of weighing in on @jameswalkinshaw.bsky.social’s win on Saturday with @washingtonpost.com.

Suffice it to say, it’s hard to run for office and determine larger voter trends with one of the most informed, policy wonky electorate in the entire country:

Now unlike the statewide primary, this was clearly a scenario where RCV wouldn’t have even mattered, much like the 2021 Gubernatorial primary.

Nothing like getting my vote in at the very last minute!

Proudly cast my vote in the 11th CD Democratic Primary at Herndon Fornightly.

Now time to count!

Y’all pls, VA-11 Democrats are tired.

30 pieces of mail in like 2 weeks.

Okay we’ll vote, just pls

It’s clear: messaging about affordability wins elections.

The old guard Democrats throwing millions and support behind an unpopular disgraced sex pest of a former governor who doesn’t run on what voters really want does not.

One thing on the messaging front that I can say for certain is that messages about opportunity and economic viability for all people is definitely one that wins resoundingly here. Just saying “I want to make this city affordable for everyone” is an incredibly popular message.

Regardless of the final outcome, Democrats should be looking at the tactics taken by Zohran’s team, and what decisions were made to get there because this is truly a campaign meeting the moment and campaigning to the people he is trying to represent.

The only thing that can get Dems out of this national rut is a Mamdani W. Having a young, progressive candidate as the party choice for the most liberal city in the Country bodes well for Dems this year.

Strapping in for multiple rounds of tallying but signs are looking up.

seriously, which would you rather have as your statewide ticket heading into November?

Saying that rural america is “ignorant and bigoted” is actually what is ignorant and bigoted

In Prince Edward County, Barbara Johns started the student strike that eventually led to Brown v Board of Education.

The Shenandoah Valley has been one of the designated areas for refugees and has a rich diverse culture because of these communities.

For example, our rural communities in Virginia are some of the most diverse areas in the Commonwealth.

Danville is a majority Black city in rural Virginia that where MLK spoke on civil rights.

This is the exact type of shitty take that sets us back and makes rural folks distrust politicians.

People who don’t know anything about or have never travelled to those areas write them off as “ignorant and bigoted” and then claim we’re all just lying if you don’t agree.

For example, our rural communities in Virginia are some of the most diverse areas in the Commonwealth.

Danville is a majority Black city in rural Virginia that where MLK spoke on civil rights.